Allenhurst Keeps Eye On Weather
By GARRETT STASSE
Weather forecasters are predicting a busy hurricane season, and Allenhurst officials want residents to be prepared.
Mayor Joseph Coyne noted that the borough is just 16 feet above sea level, and that a 14-foot storm surge could force an evacuation. He urged residents to be prepared and know evacuation routes, information thats available through the boroughs Emergency Management Office or the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management.
As way of comparison, the floods after the heavy rains in October were about 10 feet deep. They did extensive damage to coastal towns, submerging streets, causing sewers to overflow and sinking cars. Local weather experts warned of possible floods days before but many people were still caught off guard.
The county agency last year revealed a map identifying potential disaster zones where officials would evacuate residents in an emergency. Nearly all the coast is a red zone where evacuation would be mandatory. All east-west roads would be converted to west only to handle the traffic. Refugee centers are well inland.
The last major storm was the noreaster of December 1992, which did millions of dollars in damage along the coast
Coyne said he would be among the evacuees. Recalling damage done by earlier storms, he said, Im going to be one of the first ones out of here and I hope our residents listen to the warnings.
The borough is revising parking patterns around the beach club to ease traffic and see that the restaurant has places for diners to park.
Commissioners adopted a zoning amendment to limit lot coverage to 45 percent, and issued new inspection and Planning Board fees, the first revision in 15 years. Lot coverage includes buildings, pools and pavement. Anyone seeking to expand existing buildings or add new ones would have to keep to the 45-percent limit as determined by the zoning officer.
The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday cut parking times on six spaces to two hours to allow diners a place to park while at the beach club restaurant. The spaces are on the south side of Corlies Avenue at the vehicle gate to the pool complex.
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