Coastal Storm Brings Gusty Winds, Heavy Rain To New Jersey

SEA BRIGHT, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Towns along the New Jersey shore are bracing for possible flooding and beach erosion as a storm packing gusty winds and rain bears down on the area.

A coastal flood warning is in effect until 5 p.m. Thursday in Cumberland, Cape May and coastal Atlantic counties.

A coastal flood advisory is posted from Middlesex to southeast Burlington counties until 5 p.m. Friday.

Out on the open sea, a gale warning is in effect until 5 p.m. Thursday. Winds are expected to roar above the 35 mph mark.

Alarms warning shore residents of high tides and possible flooding were unnerving for some who were still working to recover from Sandy.

"We got completely wiped out. The water was up to the second level," Sea Bright business owner Kyle Manger said.

LINK: Forecasts, Alerts & Advisories

The borough of Sea Bright isn't taking any chances.

Leaders worked through their pre-storm check list, clearing the beach of debris and checking generators, just in case the storm picks up pace and power outages become a problem.

"All we can do is make sure everything we need is up and running," said emergency management coordinator Reid Murphy. "Our generators are fine, the couple of trucks we have left after Sandy are operable."

Six to nine foot waves are expected to pound the beach for days and officials are hoping the erosion won't be too bad because they just finished replenishing the beach on Tuesday.

Residents along the Jersey shore also have sandbags and water pumps on standby as they brace for what could be days of flooding.

"It's kind of nasty," said Bradley Beach resident Dave Rechsteiner. "It's blowing pretty good."

With Sandy's devastation in mind nobody was taking any chances.

"It was scary. It was the first time since I have lived here that we've gotten hit like that," Sea Bright resident Eva Grimaldi told CBS 2's Christine Sloan.

Coastal flooding will become problematic in the usual spots during high tide, but Ed Wells, who has lived in Sea Bright for more than 30 years, has seen many storms come and go, and says the flooding doesn't concern him this time.

"We have a pump system at the end of the street that works pretty well," Wells said.

He's worried about keeping his family warm in the damp and chilly air. They just moved back into their home two weeks ago, nearly a year after superstorm Sandy forced them out, CBS 2's Vanessa Murdock reported.

"The house needs to be warmed up," Wells said. "I have a 5-year-old granddaughter and daughter living here and we need heat."

In an area still recovering from Sandy, officials were planning to monitor the lingering storm.

"We will continue to have these northeast breezes for the next couple of days and they'll affect side streets," OEM Coordinator Read Murphy explained.

A coastal low lingering off the coast is making for a cool, damp and dreary Thursday and is expected to churn up water and winds through the weekend, Murdock reported.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories: