Senators Coons, Representative McBride, local leaders assess coastal damage, call for more funding to rebuild Delaware’s beaches following storm

DEWEY BEACH, Del. - U.S. Senator Chris Coons and U.S. Representative Sarah McBride (both D-Del.), joined by the Army Corps of Engineers, DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson, local elected officials, and community leaders surveyed damage on Friday morning from last week's nor'easter that battered Delaware's coast for four days and caused severe beach erosion, dune damage and flooding in communities all along the coast. The storm damaged homes and businesses, caused road closures, and shut down beaches. Following their assessment of the damage, Senator Coons and Representative McBride called for additional federal support to help Delaware's coastal communities recover and replenish their beaches.

Senator Coons and Representative McBride were joined on Friday by officials from the Army Corps of Engineers, DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson, Dewey Beach Town Manager Bill Zolper, Dewey Beach Mayor Bill Stevens, South Bethany Mayor Edie Dondero, Bethany Beach Mayor Ron Calef, State Sen. Russ Huxtable and State Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall.

"Delaware's beaches are critical to our communities, our economy, and our way of life, and we need to make sure they have the resources they need to recover from this storm and prepare for the next one," said Senator Coons. "I'm going to keep fighting for the funding Delaware needs to rebuild and recover. That means working with our local leaders, DNREC, the Army Corps and our entire congressional delegation to make sure we're doing everything we can to protect our coast."

"The damage Senator Coons and I saw is a stark reminder that investing in the resilience of our coastal communities is not optional," said Rep. McBride. "We cannot prevent these storms from happening, but we can take action to keep people safe and help our communities withstand their impacts. That's why I've been working with partners at every level of government to strengthen our coastline, combat coastal erosion, and ensure Delaware is prepared when severe weather strikes. I'm grateful to Mayor Stevens, our first responders, local leaders, and everyone who stepped up to keep our neighbors safe during the nor'easter. I'll keep working to make sure Delaware has what it needs to recover from this storm, prepare for the next one, and protect our beaches for generations to come."

Earlier this year, Senators Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester and Representative McBride helped secure $10 million for beach replenishment along the Delaware coast from Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island and are working with the Army Corps of Engineers to make that funding available as quickly as possible. Senator Coons is also working with the federal delegation and DNREC to secure an additional $30 million in federal beach replenishment funding this year to help address the state's ongoing coastal needs.