10 years later, impact is clear: Long Beach Island forever changed by Superstorm Sandy
Residents will never forget Sandy and what she did to their island.
LONG BEACH ISLAND, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Saturday will mark 10 years since Superstorm Sandy devastated parts of the Jersey shore, destroying homes and businesses.
In the decade since many are back and better than ever.
The last ten years have been physically, emotionally and financially difficult for many of the people here on Long Beach Island.
But when you look around you can confidently say that this place has made a pretty impressive recovery.
J.B. Maschal, the owner of Bay Village in Beach Haven, remembers the flood damage at his complex of stores after Sandy hit 10 years ago.
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"We gutted the whole village so you could pretty much see straight through. It was quite a struggle. There was a lot of workers and debris," Maschal said.
Seon Bowker's family runs South Beach Deli at the southern end of LBI in Holgate, which was devastated by Sandy.
"Definitely the first two to four years after the storm was a little slow as everyone took time to rebuild. But ever since, especially since COVID, the island's actually been booming," he said.
"I mean, they're building and building and building and people are taking their old houses down even now. It's 10 years later and they're building new, big houses," said Sharon Flannery of Holgate.
Most of the old bungalows are gone now, replaced with big modern houses built high off the ground. But some people say they miss the way it used to be before Sandy.
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"The old LBI is gone and we miss that, the old houses," said Barbara Strokovsky of Rydel, Pa.
"It's changed. It's not like the cozy little beach town," said Carie Colovic of Old Tappan, N.J.
Perhaps not. New construction and a giant dune system have definitely changed the look of Long Beach Island.
Ten years later, LBI has recovered from the storm's terrible toll and then some. But its residents will never forget Sandy and what she did to their island.
