No one will forget when Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast in late October, 2012. It damaged many places in New Jersey, including Seaside Heights. The destruction of Seaside Heights not only left the beach and boardwalk in ruins, it also crushed many homes in the area. This destruction affected practically everyone who lives in New Jersey because even those who do not live in Seaside Heights have a strong connection to this New Jersey landmark that everyone wants to restore.

It was weeks after Sandy before anyone could even get into the devastated parts of Seaside Heights, but as soon as they could, plans for rebuilding began. Work crews raced to begin the reconstruction of the boardwalk, starting in February. With everyone’s efforts to rebuild the shore, the Seaside Heights boardwalk was ready to go by this Memorial Day Weekend (May 24-27). According to exit82.com, 90 percent of the boardwalk is back in business thanks to repair crews and volunteers. Many of the houses still need work done, but besides that, Seaside is on its way to recovery.

Although most of the rides on the boardwalk are still not up and running, there are many things to do this summer down in Seaside Heights. During the day, visitors can spend their time hanging out on the beach, tanning, and swimming in the ocean. At night they can still go to the boardwalk to enjoy the restaurants, arcades, and shops that are back in business. With the help of tourists’ business, Seaside Heights will hopefully be back on its feet by the end of the summer.

Sarah Kearsley, a junior at HHS who went to Seaside over Memorial Day Weekend said, “I was surprised to see how much of the boardwalk was repaired. There was still some damage, but overall Seaside is back to normal.”