Meyer on shoreline restoration after July storms

Herrington, Del. – After several storms impacted Delaware’s coast last month, Gov. Matt Meyer told WMDT he wants the public to know his administration is working to keep up shoreline restoration attempts.

​Meyer said the beach areas of Delaware are some of the lowest lying in the country by average elevation.

“So the the shore areas, the the beach areas of Delaware, are the lowest lying places in the lowest lying state in the country by average,” he said. “They are of top of mind concern, particularly as the climate changes, as sea levels rise.”

He said the July storms had been an annoyance for many, but for others, the effects could be more extreme.

“Maybe your power’s out a few hours, or in the worst case, a day or two, which is which is bad. But we recognize that it threatens entire communities. It threatens entire industries,” he said.

However, he said his administration is working to continue restoring shorelines.

“Under the prior federal administration, the Biden administration, there were strong federal support not just for beach replenishment in Delaware, but for beach replenishment across the country,” he said.

However, he said “a lot” of federal support has disappeared.

“And in many cases, it’s just not been reliable,” he said. “We’re hoping the Trump administration will step up, but if not, I want Delawareans to know we will be here to make sure that we’re making the appropriate investments for the long term so that our beach areas and resort areas will be sustained for generations to come.