Officials along the Delaware Bayshore were fearful that high tides from the storm would cause major damage. Luckily, they did not. Watch video
DOWNE TWP. -- For the tiny towns that sit along the shore of the Delaware Bay, it seems that preventative measures and a little luck this weekend prevented the devastation seen during Superstorm Sandy.
"Another day or two we'll have pretty much everything back in shape ... ," said Downe Township Mayor Bob Campbell on Monday.
The mayor said of the three bayside towns -- Fortescue, Money Island and Gandy's Beach -- it was Gandy's beach that saw the most upheaval with one to two feet of sand pushed out of the bay onshore throughout the town.
Campbell said since Sunday heavy equipment has been in operation clearing streets.
"It's quite a mess. We lost some of the smaller bulkhead structures, but we can fix them," Campbell said. "Our cleanup started (Sunday) right after high tide. We've got a pretty good jump on it."
The highest tides seen over the weekend storm were about 4 inches below those of Sandy, the mayor said.
One of the luckiest breaks for the township was the wind direction. During Sandy, the wind switched to the west/northwest, piling water onshore. During the weekend storm, the winds stayed from the northeast.
No homes were destroyed by the weekend storm, although one still under reconstruction after Sandy was slightly damaged.
Overall, the new bulkheads, berms and dunes put in place after Sandy held and are being credited with saving the towns.
Roads in and out of the fragile towns were spared major damage, too.
"All roads are open and clear," Campbell said Monday.
The experience of living through the horror of Sandy helped the Bayshore prepare for future storms.
In all, Campbell estimates there was $100,000 to $200,000 in damage left by the storm. He said a FEMA official was expected to visit Downe to assess the storm's impact. Campbell's concern was that the damage meets the threshold for aid.
Once the cleanup is done, Campbell said, he said officials will turn toward "permanent prevention measures," such as reinforcing bulkheads.
Each major storm is a lesson for officials, he said Monday.
"We learn all the soft spots," Campbell said of weak shoreline barriers -- especially on private properties.
While the Bayshore's concern was the threatening tides, throughout the rest of Cumberland County it was snow.
As of Monday morning all 540 miles of the county's roads were passable, according to John H. Knoop III, county engineer and director of public works and property.
High winds impeded the work by county crews -- who worked 12- and 14-hour shifts -- and the outside contractors brought in to help.
Through Monday morning, some 1,500 tons of salt had been spread on county roads, Knoop said.
In neighboring Salem County, flooding had been a concern in tidal areas and was seen in Lower Alloways Creek, Elsinboro, Salem and Pennsville, officials said.
Nineteen county employees and 10 extra contractors have helped in the battle to remove the snow
County crews were still working Monday in areas of rural Pittsgrove and Penns Grove Monday moving snow.
Official said the intensity of the storm, the accumulation and winds made snow removal a battle.
Emergency management officials reported no major damage from the storm.
Officials in Cumberland and Salem counties also said they had heard of no deaths attributed to the weekend snowstorm.
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow South Jersey Times on Twitter @TheSJTimes. Find NJ.com on Facebook.