North Shore NewsI just got back from visiting a house north of Rocky Point that, hours earlier, fell into the sandy beach below. This was due to a sudden overnight erosion event from large northerly waves during high tide. There was no Erosion Control barriers on the beach side of this property. All those with some sort of erosion barriers are still there.
As workers, news crews and at least one politician walked about – I spoke to the owner, a soft spoken elderly man as he sat on an old wooden bench. He said he and his family have owned that house since 1949 and because he had heard he was not supposed to put any sand bags or “burritos” out front (like the neighbors had done) he just didn’t do anything. Now his house is lost to the ocean. Beach Erosion is real, however, how we deal with it at this moment in time is of utmost importance.
There is a fight between those who want the beach to erode all the way to, and through, Kamehameha Highway. They, like some PhDs from the U of H, want all oceanfront owners to just allow such loss of land and then the State will “Manage their Retreat”.
It is unpopular with some to actually “fight” to preserve our current beachfronts and the existing beaches out in front of them, yet – for those Waikiki hotels on the beach – they get millions in special project funds and State Highways get equal amounts to preserve their current locations as those on the Windward side.
I have spoken to U.H. Sea Grant people and those from the DLNR who say “it’s just a matter of time” and we just want owners to allow the ocean to take their property… but I have also spoken to many other engineers and PhDs that have saved beaches in several mainland areas and they say “there are lots of things that can be done and even Federal monies to do those things”.
I feel that while the Trend was to just let those houses fall into the ocean… now – there is a realization that “Managed Retreat” is not economically possible and those in charge are finally considering allowing private monies (and maybe public monies) to create modern safety devices to protect the small sand bank that constitutes most of our North Shore beachfront properties. These measures can prevent the ocean from taking not only the homes, but the roads, bike path and even our main vehicular artery, Kamehameha Highway.
More to come on this!