Late last month we received the following note from our friends and neighbors Andrew and Linda Straz, who live on the eastern side of Lighthouse Point in Prospect Harbor. With Andrew and Linda’s permission, we are sharing their note because it reminds us that big storms like the one on January 10 always have effects that are personal in addition to their social and economic impacts.
Pauline asked a bout storm damage here on Lighthouse Point, so I thought I’d share our experience though it mirrors that of so many along the coast. Our shorefront had a straight stretch piled high and deep with boulders and then a small point with flat rock reaching down to the water. On the point, we had pathways established among bayberry bushes, leading to favorite sitting spots. Eagles land in the old-growth trees, and part of our entertainment is watching ospreys and crows dive down to displace the eagles.
In the twenty years we have been here, there have been only a few occasions when we have had splash over on our shore. A recent one was either on the storm of November 27th or December 18th when we had debris wash in. We thought the next decade would bring more such events, but we never imagined getting the destruction of the storm of January 10th. We watched for several hours at high tide as waves completely washed over our point. The boulders that we thought were our protection were hurled everywhere. Smashed stairway parts from our neighbors, entire trees, and all manner of other debris cover the area.
We will clean up and develop other ways to enjoy our new shorefront. It brought to our attention, however, the vulnerability of Lighthouse Point Road. Surf washed across the road from the beach area to the (Space Force) base entrance, leaving rocks and debris Their security gate had seaweed hanging from it, and the water went past our street sign. The road has solid rock against it by the base, but not at the beach area. Andrew mentioned to the town office that that part of the road could be undermined in future storms.
