Impacts of Hurricane Sandy to the Connecticut Shoreline

UConn’s Connecticut Sea Grant Program (CTSG) and CLEAR hosted a discussion of Hurricane Sandy impacts to Connecticut’s beaches and dunes on November 20, 2012. Several municipalities and private beach associations attended and provided insights into local shoreline changes. Many areas along the eastern part of the state experienced shoreline erosion with dunes heavily impacted by the storm surge. Many dunes were flattened with sand pushed landward into marshes, tidal inlets and developed areas. State and federal agency officials from Connecticut Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and FEMA provided information on agency resources and regulations. CTSG and CLEAR will assemble this information and agency websites such that there will be a protocol in place for the next time a storm hits the Connecticut coast.

Waterford Town Beach
Sand has almost completely covered this bench on Waterford’s Town Beach after Hurricane Sandy.
Tidal Creek
So much sand was pushed into a tidal creek on the Borough of Fenwick that tidal flow is occluded.