>> Reporter: FIVE YEARS AFTER

SUPERSTORM SANDY DEVASTATED THE

NEW JERSEY COASTAL TOWN OF SEA

BRIGHT, IT HAS BEEN REBUILT.

MANY RESIDENTS, INCLUDING THE

MAYOR, DINA LONG, HAD TO

RECONSTRUCT THEIR HOMES FROM

SCRATCH.

>> MY FIRST FLOOR IS NOW 13 FEET

OFF THE GROUND.

>> Reporter: NEW HOMES ARE

ELEVATED, TO MEET LOCAL POST-

SANDY FLOOD ZONE GUIDELINES.

>> AFTER THE STORM, WHEN WE

STARTED REBUILDING, WE KIND OF

ADOPTED THIS MINDSET OF-- I CALL

IT "NEVER AGAIN."

WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE

CAN TO MITIGATE OUR RISK.

>> Reporter: PROPERTY VALUES

HAVE REBOUNDED.

>> I WOULD SAY ABOUT 95% OF THE

PEOPLE ARE BACK.

>> Reporter: A NEW COMMUNITY

CENTER AND BEACH PAVILION IS

BEING ERECTED, AND SEASIDE SHOPS

AND RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN FOR

BUSINESS IN A COUNTY THAT

GENERATES NEARLY $2.5 BILLION A

YEAR FOR NEW JERSEY'S

$44 BILLION TOURISM INDUSTRY.

SO, IN SOME WAYS, SEA BRIGHT IS

NEWER AND FRESHER AND MORE

BEAUTIFUL THAN IT WAS BEFORE

SANDY.

>> YEP, IT IS.

>> Reporter: BUT LOOK CLOSER,

AND THERE ARE REMINDERS OF THE

DESTRUCTION SANDY WROUGHT ON

THIS SLIVER OF A TOWN, SQUEEZED

BETWEEN THE NAVESINK RIVER AND

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

>> THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT.

WE WERE ACTUALLY SHOCKED.

>> Reporter: IT TOOK A YEAR AND

A HALF FOR BRIAN McMULLIN TO

REBUILD HIS ICE CREAM SHOP.

IN FRANK BAIN'S HARDWARE STORE,

YOU CAN SEE THE WATERMARK LEFT

BY SANDY'S STORM SURGE, WHICH

PEAKED AT TEN FEET.

>> IT WAS TERRIBLE.

IT WAS LIKE A ROGUE WAVE CAME

THROUGH AND JUST WASHED OUT THE

TOWN.

>> Reporter: FIVE YEARS AFTER

SANDY, MANY NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS

STAYED PUT, WITH SUPPORT FROM

THE STATE GOVERNMENT.

IT INVESTED FEDERAL DISASTER

RECOVERY FUNDS TO SAFEGUARD

RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY FROM

FUTURE STORMS, INCLUDING

DREDGING 31 MILLION CUBIC YARDS

OF SAND TO RESTORE BEACHES.

>> AND SEE, THAT'S OUR HIGH

WATER MARK.

>> Reporter: TEN FEET.

AND REINFORCING METAL BULKHEADS

MEANT TO CONTAIN RIVER FLOODING

CAUSED BY TYPICAL STORMS.

WHAT'LL THAT DO IF ANOTHER

SANDY-TYPE STORM COMES ASHORE?

>> IF ANOTHER SANDY-TYPE STORM

COMES ASHORE, BULKHEADS REALLY

AREN'T GOING TO DO MUCH, BECAUSE

THE WATER IS GOING TO OVERTOP

THE BULKHEAD.

>> Reporter: IN SEA BRIGHT,

THERE'S ONE MORE LINE OF

DEFENSE: A FIVE-MILE-LONG

SEAWALL THAT DATES BACK TO THE

1870s AND STRETCHES TO THE

NEIGHBORING TOWN OF MONMOUTH

BEACH.

IT'S 18 FEET HIGH, WITH THE TOP

SIX TO EIGHT FEET ABOVE GROUND.

THE PARTS OF SEA BRIGHT THAT

WERE SHIELDED BY THE OLD SEA

WALL WERE BETTER PROTECTED WHEN

SUPERSTORM SANDY BLEW ASHORE

HERE FIVE YEARS AGO.

CONSTRUCTION RECENTLY BEGAN TO

FILL GAPS IN THE SEA WALL AND

MAKE IT A UNIFORM HEIGHT.

THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

AGENCY, FEMA, APPROVED THE

$35 MILLION PROJECT-- 90% OF THE

TAB PAID FOR BY FEDERAL

TAXPAYERS.

ERICK DOYLE OVERSEES THE

DIVISION OF NEW JERSEY'S

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION, WHICH DESIGNED THE

WALL.

>> FROM FEMA'S PERSPECTIVE,

THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT

VULNERABILITIES WITHIN SEA

BRIGHT ITSELF.

WE DID OUR ECONOMIC ANALYSES AND

CAME UP WITH A COST-JUSTIFIABLE

PROJECT THAT WOULD CLOSE THOSE

GAPS AND PROVIDE ONE CONTIGUOUS

STRUCTURE.

>> Reporter: WHILE IT CAN'T

PREVENT FLOODING FROM THE RIVER

OR HEAVY RAINS, IT CAN BLUNT THE

FORCE OF OCEAN WAVES.

>> THE SEAWALL IS THERE TO BREAK

THE WAVE ENERGY.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS KIND OF A

SECONDARY LINE OF DEFENSE FOR,

YOU KNOW, THE SANDY-LEVEL

EVENTS.

>> Reporter: BUT JEFF TITTEL,

THE PRESIDENT OF THE NEW JERSEY

SIERRA CLUB, THINKS REINFORCING

A SEA WALL TO BLOCK OUT WATER IS

AN UNWINNABLE PROPOSITION.

>> IT'S SORT OF THE HUBRIS OF

MAN THAT WE THINK WE CAN

OVERCOME NATURE.

NATURE WINS IN THE END.

>> Reporter: TITTEL ARGUES,

SEAWALLS AND BEACH REPLENISHMENT

NOT ONLY FAIL TO ACCOUNT FOR

RISING SEA LEVELS, BUT ARE ALSO

A WASTE OF TAX DOLLARS BECAUSE A

TEN-FOOT STORM SURGE LIKE SANDY

WOULD GO RIGHT OVER IT.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE THAT

HAVE LIVED IN THESE SHORE TOWNS

FOR A LONG TIME AND THAT'S HOME?

THEY DON'T WANT TO LEAVE?

>> I SAY TO THEM THAT, YOU KNOW,

THEN THE TAXPAYERS SHOULDN'T

SUBSIDIZE YOUR COMMUNITY EVERY

TIME YOU HAVE A STORM OR IT

RAINS.

AND EVERY TIME THAT HAPPENS,

THEY GET MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN

PUBLIC MONEY TO EITHER REBUILD

THEIR HOMES, TO FIX THE

INFRASTRUCTURE, OR TO REPAVE THE

ROADS.

>> Reporter: THE FREQUENCY AND

INTENSITY OF MAJOR STORMS AND

HURRICANES LIKE SANDY, HARVEY,

AND IRMA HAVE INCREASED SINCE

THE EARLY 1980s, AND THE

STRONGER STORMS COINCIDE WITH

ANOTHER GLOBAL WARMING-DRIVEN

TREND, HIGHER SEA LEVELS.

A RUTGERS UNIVERSITY STUDY LAST

YEAR FORECAST NEW JERSEY'S COAST

COULD SEE A ONE- TO TWO-FOOT

RISE IN SEA LEVELS BY THE YEAR

2050.

BY THE END OF THE CENTURY, THE

STUDY PREDICTS A FIVE- OR SIX-

FOOT RISE IS POSSIBLE.

BUT, CLIMATE MODELS VARY WIDELY

AND DEPEND ON FUTURE LEVELS OF

THE CARBON EMISSIONS WHICH CAUSE

GLOBAL WARMING.

>> WELL, IN THIS COMMUNITY,

ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE FIVE-FOOT

SEA LEVEL RISE MAP COULD COME

TRUE MEANS ACKNOWLEDGING THAT

YOUR CITY IS NO LONGER A LIVABLE

PLACE.

YOU KNOW, SO IT'S A, IT'S A

DIFFICULT-- IT'S A DIFFICULT

CONVERSATION.

>> Reporter: BUT IT IS A

CONVERSATION MAYOR LONG HAD WITH

SEA BRIGHT RESIDENTS AFTER

SANDY, WITH THE HELP OF STEVE

NELSON, WHO WAS A RECOVERY

PLANNING MANAGER FOR THE

NONPROFIT NEW JERSEY FUTURE.

>> IT'S VERY LOW-LYING.

IT'S VERY VULNERABLE TO THE

OCEAN WHERE THE SEAWALL DOESN'T

EXIST, AND TO THE RIVER, EVEN

THOUGH THERE ARE BULKHEADS

THERE.

SO SEA BRIGHT IS REALLY IN THE

CROSSHAIRS OF THE SEA LEVEL RISE

DILEMMA AND ISSUE.

IT WILL BE SEVERELY IMPACTED BY

SEA LEVEL RISE IF THE

SCIENTISTS' ESTIMATIONS ARE

TRUE.

>> Reporter: SEA BRIGHT DOESN'T

REQUIRE A MAJOR STORM TO FLOOD.

EVEN TYPICAL RAINY DAYS CAN

LEAVE POOLS OF WATER ON ITS LOW-

LYING STREETS.

NELSON ADVOCATES A POLICY OF

"MANAGED RETREAT," WHICH MEANS

IDENTIFYING PROPERTIES MOST

VULNERABLE TO FLOODING AND

ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO MOVE TO

PLACES THAT DON'T FREQUENTLY

FLOOD.

>> IT'S A VERY HARD THING FOR ME

TO SAY TO SOMEONE, YOU SHOULDN'T

LIVE HERE ANYMORE.

BUT IN THE LONG TERM, REBUILDING

THE SEAWALL, BUILDING UP THE

BULKHEADS, RAZING HOMES.

THEY WERE NOT THE LONGER-TERM

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS THAT I

THINK IS NEEDED.

>> Reporter: WHICH IS TO LEAVE?

>> WHICH IS FOR SOME PEOPLE TO

LEAVE.

>> Reporter: ONE FACTOR WORKING

AGAINST THAT IS THE NATIONAL

FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM, RUN BY

FEMA.

IT OFFERS HOMEOWNERS IN FLOOD

ZONES AFFORDABLE INSURANCE, AND

CONTINUES COVERAGE NO MATTER HOW

MANY TIMES THEIR HOME IS

DAMAGED.

>> THERE IS AN INCENTIVE TO

REBUILD, THERE'S A DISINCENTIVE

NOT TO REBUILD.

AND THE WAY THE FLOOD INSURANCE

POLICIES WORK NOW IS

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO LONG-TERM

RESILIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY.

>> Reporter: WHAT DO YOU SAY TO

CRITICS THAT SAY, WHY SHOULD WE

BE PUTTING TAXPAYER MONEY TOWARD

BUILDING A WALL FOR SEA BRIGHT,

WHEN WE KNOW SEA LEVELS ARE

GOING TO RISE AND THE PLACE IS

GOING TO FLOOD AGAIN THE NEXT

TIME THERE'S A BIG STORM?

>> WELL, THE INVESTMENT THAT WE

MAKE TODAY PAYS OFF IN TERMS OF

NOT HAVING TO PAY FOR REPAIRING

OF DAMAGES IN THE FUTURE.

THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMMUNITIES

UP AND DOWN THE COAST, NOT ONLY

IN NEW JERSEY, BUT IN THE U.S.A.

I MEAN, DO YOU WANT TO TALK

ABOUT THE FLORIDA KEYS?

THERE ARE LOTS OF PLACES THAT

ARE VULNERABLE.

AND I THINK ANYBODY WHO'S NOT

DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO

PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM FUTURE

STORMS PROBABLY DESERVES

CRITICISM.

>> Reporter: UNLIKE IN THE

TOURISM-GENERATING COASTAL

TOWNS, AFTER SANDY, HUNDREDS OF

NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS ALONG THE

STATE'S RIVERS AND BACK BAYS DID

LEAVE THEIR FLOOD-PRONE HOMES.

IN THE TOWN OF SOUTH RIVER,

30 MILES INLAND FROM SEA BRIGHT:

>> THIS SPOT ACTUALLY WAS THE

FORMER LOCATION OF MY HOUSE THAT

I BOUGHT.

>> Reporter: JIM HUTCHISON IS

AMONG THE DOZENS OF RESIDENTS

WHO WERE ENTICED INTO MANAGED

RETREAT BY A STATE-RUN,

FEDERALLY-FUNDED HOME BUYOUT

PROGRAM CALLED BLUE ACRES.

HUTCHISON'S HOME, WHICH FLOODED

WITH FOUR FEET OF WATER DURING

SANDY, ONCE STOOD ON THIS EMPTY

LOT.

UNDER BLUE ACRES, THE STATE

BOUGHT HIS HOUSE AT ITS PRE-

SANDY MARKET PRICE, DEMOLISHED

IT, AND BANNED NEW DEVELOPMENT

ON THE LOT.

>> IT DEFINITELY WAS A LOSS TO

THE TOWN, WITHOUT QUESTION.

IT WAS A FINANCIAL IMPACT.

IT'S, YOU FELT, EVERY YEAR, YOU

FELT THAT WAY IN PERPETUITY.

>> Reporter: WHILE HUTCHISON

MOVED TO HIGHER GROUND IN SOUTH

RIVER, HE SAYS HE WAS ONE OF THE

EXCEPTIONS WHO TOOK THE BUYOUT

AND STAYED.

>> PEOPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF

THE HOUSE HERE, THEY MOVED OUT

OF TOWN.

SO THE ONLY ONE OUT OF THE FOUR

THAT WERE TAKEN DOWN HERE, THAT

STAYED IN SOUTH RIVER, WAS MY

WIFE AND MYSELF.

>> Reporter: DO YOU REGRET THE

BUYOUT?

>> DO I REGRET IT?

PERSONALLY, NO.

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

I'M, I'M THRILLED BY IT,

BECAUSE, AGAIN IT TOOK US OUT OF

HARM'S WAY AND IT GAVE MYSELF A

SENSE OF EASE WITH MY FAMILY.

>> Reporter: THE BUYOUTS ARE

VISIBLE WHEN DRIVING THROUGH THE

TOWN NEXT TO SOUTH RIVER,

SAYREVILLE.

THE EMPTY LOTS WHERE HOMES ONCE

STOOD HAVE BEEN RECLAIMED BY

NATURE.

THEY ARE NOW OVERGROWN GREEN

SPACES THAT MAY ACT AS A BUFFER

THE NEXT TIME THE RIVER

OVERFLOWS.

NEW JERSEY HAS BOUGHT OUT MORE

THAN 600 FLOOD-PRONE HOMES SINCE

SANDY AT A COST OF $159 MILLION.

WITH ANOTHER $141 MILLION IN

FEDERAL FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR THE

PROGRAM, THE STATE HAS HUNDREDS

MORE BUYOUT OFFERS IN THE

PIPELINE.

BUT ON NEW JERSEY'S OCEAN COAST,

BUYOUTS HAVE BEEN A TOUGH SELL.

>> THEY HURT A COMMUNITY, IN

TERMS OF TAXES.

PROPERTY TAXES, RIGHT?

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS RUN ON

PROPERTY TAXES.

>> Reporter: MAYOR LONG

ACKNOWLEDGES THE OCEAN MAY ONE

DAY SWALLOW HER TOWN, BUT

PROBABLY NOT DURING HER

LIFETIME, AND AS LONG AS STAYING

PUT IS AN OPTION, SHE WILL.

>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT 100 YEARS

FROM NOW, THE FIVE-FOOT SEA

LEVEL RISE PROJECTION, THAT'S

TROUBLING, BECAUSE IT DOES SHOW

A LARGE PART OF OUR AREA

INUNDATED BY WATER.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE ONE THAT

MAKES YOU LOSE SLEEP AT NIGHT.