Jersey Shore town closes beaches following severe erosion brought by Ian remnants

A Cape May County borough has decided to close all its beaches as a safety precaution after they were damaged by the remnants of what was once Hurricane Ian.

All of Stone Harbors beaches will be closed until further notice due to the existence of hidden safety hazards, according to a notice posted on the boroughs Facebook page.

Its a safety precaution, a spokesperson for the borough told NJ Advance Media.

Stone Harbors beachfront suffered severe erosion as a result of the latest noreaster, the spokesperson said. There are eight to ten-foot drop-offs at the beach access points making it unsafe.

Similar conditions were reported in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island which had 10 to 12-foot vertical drops, James Sferra, the recycling coordinator in the public works department, said earlier this week. About 12 miles north on the island, Harvey Cedars also experienced significant dune damage, said Harvey Cedars Police Department Chief Robert Burnaford.

The number of Hurricane Ian-related deaths rose to at least 101 on Thursday, eight days after the storm made landfall in southwest Florida. According to reports from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, 92 of those deaths were in Florida. Five people were also killed in North Carolina, three in Cuba and one in Virginia.

Ian is the second-deadliest storm to hit the mainland U.S. in the 21st century behind Hurricane Katrina, which left more than 1,800 people dead in 2005. The deadliest hurricane ever to hit the U.S. was the Great Galveston Hurricane in 1900 that killed as many as 8,000 people.

The article contains material from the Associated Press.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.