REHOBOTH BEACH — The Storm of 1962 left a sizable amount of damage to Delaware’s coastal communities, as much of the infrastructure at the time could not withstand the storm’s 35- to 45-mph winds.

Those early March gales, including gusts of up to 70 mph and combined with waves of up to 30 feet, left a path of destruction throughout the area.

The nor’easter, which lasted through five high tides, caused eroding sand on the shorelines to be washed inland, while these neighborhoods also experienced heavy flooding.

The abnormal tide cycle caused a worst-case scenario for these locales, but according to Dr. Kelvin Ramsey of the Delaware Geological Survey, there isn’t much that could have been done to reduce the damage.

“I would say that, if the same scenario of the March of ’62 storm hit, I don’t think there are any protections that you really could have done to protect the beaches and the communities along the coast,” Dr. Ramsey said.

At the time of the storm, many of the houses on the shore were older, and according to Dr. Ramsey, that left them susceptible to wind and flood damage.

“These homes were not all that well constructed; they were basically sitting right on the ground. So when the waves came through, there was no way that they could withstand that type of damage,” he said.

Since the Storm of ’62, provisions in the residential code for homes in these communities have set a baseline of standards each home must meet to protect against coastal storms. Some of those regulations include the requirement of buildings to withstand high wind speeds and the prevention of construction without a coastal construction permit or coastal construction letter of approval.

Not only were the structures near the beaches vulnerable to damage, but the shore’s natural line of protection, the dunes, were no match for the intense conditions of the Storm of ’62.

The event resulted in a path of destruction that would leave a heavy financial burden on both the state and the affected communities. At the time, officials estimated that damages exceeded $50 million, a figure that would exceed $465 million today. Then-Gov. Elbert N. Carvel estimated that beach replenishment would exceed $20 million, which would surpass $186 million in 2022.

According to Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control Shoreline and Waterway Management Section administrator Jesse Hayden, the impact to the dunes — via flooding, erosion, wind and wave damage — proved just how unique the 1962 nor’easter was.

“It’s a remarkable storm when you look at it. The storm spanned five consecutive high tides and multiple days, and that is a long time for water to be piled up, with wind and waves attacking the shorelines,” Mr. Hayden said.

“The beach and dunes at the time didn’t stand a chance against the high water that was produced by the storm.”

The weather highlighted the vulnerability of the infrastructure of Delaware’s shoreline neighborhoods, but since the storm, the state has made efforts to protect them.

Efforts such as the Delaware Beach Preservation Act of 1972, as well as the National Flood Insurance Program — an initiative that deals with the socioeconomic impact of floods — have helped prepare beach regions for the potential damages of coastal storms.

In addition, the impact of climate change has led these communities, as well as organizations like DNREC, to consider how they can best protect themselves from rising sea levels and eroding shorelines.

On Dec. 10, 2021, the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section announced its latest nourishment project, to begin in the Pickering Beach, Kitts Hummock, Bowers, South Bowers and Slaughter Beach communities this year.

These ongoing projects aim to offset the effects of erosion by supplementing the dunes of these Delaware Bay beaches, placing sand on areas that have experienced damage.

Nourishment projects typically occur annually, but for Delaware Bay coastlines, periodic replenishment will occur as needed for the beaches that see the most erosion.

As of 2021, it’s estimated that there have been 107 nourishment projects at Delaware beaches, costing about $160.26 million. The 2022 replenishment will cost approximately $1.4 million, according to DNREC media relations manager Michael Globetti.

Both Dr. Ramsey and Mr. Hayden said that beach nourishment is the main prevention strategy for coastal communities and their dunes.

“Our experience is that beach replenishment ... makes a big difference in both moderate and severe storms,” Dr. Ramsey said.

“A great example is Hurricane Sandy. We had some damage, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it would’ve been had the beaches not been built out.”

Mr. Hayden agreed that nourishment is the most efficient measure to prevent erosion and added that, even though there was replenishment on Delaware’s coast prior to the Storm of ’62, other work may have offset its benefits.

“Before the 1962 storm, you had some different techniques, like installing hard structures such as groins on the shorelines. These groins would interrupt the flow of the sand and trap it,” Mr. Hayden said.

Another outdated measure, he said, are jetties, or stretches of coast that are constructed to protect the shoreline by acting as a barrier to currents, tides and waves. Mr. Hayden said these have also disrupted the natural flow of sand.

The best example of this, he added, is at the Indian River Inlet, where jetties have caused a deficit of sand on the north side of the inlet and a surplus on the south.

The offsetting consequences of these methods have led organizations like DNREC to rely on beach nourishment as its primary preventive action.

“You see the modern beach-nourishment projects in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers, and you see how they really improve the resiliency to coastal storms for the entirety of the Atlantic Ocean coastline,” Mr. Hayden said.

Nourishment is a process that takes place over time, and even though these measures are being taken to protect coastal communities, a storm like the nor’easter of 1962 would likely still do great destruction.

The impact 60 years ago did help prepare coastal regions for storms of this magnitude.

“Organizationally, we’re in a lot better shape than we were in 1962. In 1962, there was no DNREC. There wasn’t governmental organizations that we have today. But that’s how we’ve adapted to these instances since then,” Dr. Ramsey said.

“The Storm of ’62 was beyond a measure of anything we could construct. It’s our benchmark, and for these communities, they’ve already had their worst-case scenario.”