Sea Bright Brings In Harvard Experts For Ideas On Rebuilding

SEA BRIGHT, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The struggling Jersey Shore town of Sea Bright has turned to Harvard University for help in its rebuilding.

As WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported, the team from Harvard Business School will not actually do the construction to elevate the buildings, but they will provide the expertise to make that happen.

"What we're looking at is cost analyses, and trying to identify possible sources of funding to help these elevation projects," said Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long.

The buildings need to be raised up so they don't flood again.

A couple of professors made an onsite assessment last week "to see if there isn't a way that their graduate students can help with Sea Bright's recovery."

Elevating buildings is extremely expensive, experts have pointed out.

As of just last week, Long said just 300 of the town's 1,500 year-round residents moved back into their homes.

Sea Bright officials have said volunteers are still needed to help gut homes to get them ready for rebuilding.

Long said she expects that some homes will never be rebuilt. And of the ones that will, she said she anticipates most will be elevated to prevent similar devastation from happening again.

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• Peter Haskell