BETHANY BEACH, Del. - High winds and rough surf are putting pressure on beaches along the Delaware coast, with Bethany Beach officials keeping a close eye on the dunes as the storm continues.
So far, the beach has not seen significant damage, according to the town. But with strong northeastern winds and additional high tides expected over the next several days, officials say more erosion remains possible.
The town says it lost about a third of its dunes last year, making the condition of the shoreline a particular concern.
On Wednesday, waves crashed into the shoreline as strong winds pushed sand across the beach.
But longtime Bethany Beach residents say the conditions are relatively mild compared with storms they've seen in the past.
Matthew Piron, who has lived in Bethany Beach for a few decades, came to the boardwalk to watch the waves.
"This is mild," Piron said. "I've seen some that took out most of these dunes. So as storms go, this isn't bad."
Piron said the beach is also in a period between replenishment projects, but he is hopeful any sand lost during the storm will eventually return.
Resident Tom Salonick also said the current conditions don't compare with some previous storms.
"The damage was much worse before," Salonick said. "It doesn't seem as bad as it's been in past years."
Salonick also pointed to recent growth in the dunes, including sand grass, which he said appears to be helping keep the dunes in place and limit blowing sand.
Town officials are continuing to monitor the shoreline and have discussed potentially closing beach crossings to keep people away from unsafe conditions. No crossings had been closed as of Wednesday afternoon.
Some visitors who were in Bethany for the week said they had never seen coast conditions like this before and were disappointed they were unable to spend as much time on the beach as they had planned.
The storm is expected to continue bringing strong winds and rough surf, meaning conditions along the shoreline could change over the coming days.
