BROADKILL BEACH, Del. - Serious erosion from the winter storms hit Delaware bay beaches this weekend.
The winter weather not only has given coastal spots a new look. It also blocked off some public beach access ways.
But DNREC told me that this beach erosion along the bay is nothing to worry too much about. The Department said in a statement to WBOC that they have already surveyed the area and have a plan to restore the beach.
But people from the area were still amazed when they came to see for themselves.
The winter weather from the past two weekends took huge chunks of sand from the beach, but the sand cliffs, known as "scarps," weren't only at the Route 16 entrance.
"When you look at it, it's about a 15-foot drop going down. But look behind me, it goes all the way up, and all the way behind you. So this is, this is a major project," said Jerry Ratzinger from Rehoboth Beach.
DNREC told WBOC its shoreline and waterway management section has seen this kind of erosion before, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful out on the dunes.
"There is a lot of people that come down, they utilize it. So, you can't put stairs, you know that's inaccessible to some people. But I think they'll do the right thing," Ratzinger said.
Peggy Herrick from Milton said this kind of erosion can't be avoided, "I just think it's sad, but again it is mother nature and it's gonna keep happening, you know? And it's, global warming has a lot to do with a lot of this too, it really does," she said.
But the erosion can be planned for. Buffers were built up years ago to protect residents from angry waters.
Now, with residents largely undisturbed, DNREC says it will focus on restoring beach access ways within the next few weeks.
They will first restore the main pedestrian crossing at Route 16 and the Broadkill Store, and then move on to restore other dune crossings that are less heavily-traveled.