Delaware Looking to Determine Shoreline Storm Damage

Delaware’s Natural Resources Secretary says the state is working with federal officials to determine how much sand and shoreline were taken away by last week’s storm, particularly near the environmentally sensitive Prime Hook salt marsh.

Natural Resources Secretary Collin O’Mara says it’s critical that dune breaches be closed and restoration work at Prime Hook occur as quickly as possible. O’Mara told The News Journal of Wilmington that every storm will make it more difficult to restore the refuge’s world-class habitat.

O’Mara says his agency will work with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service engineers to determine how much sand and shoreline disappeared. State officials say Superstorm Sandy widened a dune breach last fall from 300 feet to 1,500 feet. Storms in 2009 and 2010 also washed over the dune line.