Irene displays need for big beach, dunes and seawall

Posted September 2, 2011
By Patrick Bloodgood, Norfolk District Public Affairs

09/02/2011 - VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As the wind and surf lashed against the oceanfront, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and City of Virginia Beach built hurricane protection project held back the rough seas from damaging homes, businesses and infrastructure, saving millions of dollars in clean up costs.

The Virginia Beach Hurricane Protection Project Completed in 2002has protected Virginia Beach's oceanfront from coastal storms including hurricanes and countless nor'easters, including Hurricane Isabelle in 2003, when it saved the city an estimated $82 million in damage repairs.

Jerry Swean, a geologist with the Norfolk District, kept a watchful eye on the project during the storm, and said you can see the differences between pre-protection project and post protection project.

"In 1998 we had a nor'easter come through that had a similarly high tide as Irene. The story back then was much different then today: homes were damaged and water was washing across the roadways," Swean said.

The Corps and the City of Virginia Beach are getting ready to replenish the beaches along the City's 11 miles of coastline to ensure the protection level is where it needs to be.

Jennifer Armstrong, a project manager who oversees the oceanfront project for the Corps, in order for the system to be successful, it needs to have both a large beach and seawall/dune system in place.

"The higher and wider beach works in tandem with the concrete seawall and dune system by acting as a sacrificial erosion buffer and dissipating the wave energy," said Armstrong. "Erosion of the beach sand during storm events like Irene is not only expected, but is a critical feature of the system."

According to Phil Roehrs, a coastal engineer with the City of Virginia Beach, keeping the protection project at a high level of readiness saves taxpayer money.

"If you look at the aspect of lowering the payouts the federal government would make as the underwriter of the National Flood Insurance Program the project has more than paid for itself in savings to taxpayers," Roehrs said. "The other thing you don't see is a huge cadre of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees, or other emergency workers streaming into the area because the oceanfront wasn't heavily damaged. The need for that level of response isn't needed, thanks in part to having the protection system."

The oceanfront project received some erosion during Hurricane Irene, but Armstrong says the upcoming work has already accounted for it and no additional costs to taxpayers will occur as a result.

"The project is designed to require periodic re-nourishment to replace the natural and storm-event erosion and to take into account the possibility of such storms during each cycle," Armstrong said. "Plans to re-nourish the six-mile stretch of Virginia Beach oceanfront were underway prior to Irene and are scheduled for construction later this year."

With continued construction occurring to the beaches along Virginia Beach's coastline, the city says it highlights how a good relationship between federal and local officials benefits its local citizens.

"We can't be more ecstatic about our relationship with the Corps of Engineers when it comes to providing coastal protection for our citizens," Roehrs said. "The proof is in the pudding: just look at how well our projects have stood up to the storms over the past decade."