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N.J. confronts how to rebuild its shore

Some planners, environmentalists warn against it

The storm swept away beaches, homes, boardwalks, and amusement parks along the famous Jersey Shore.Mike groll/associated press

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, N.J. — In its tear of destruction, the megastorm Sandy left parts of New Jersey's beloved shore in tatters, sweeping away beaches, homes, boardwalks, and amusement parks.

The devastation left the state a blank canvas to redevelop its prized vacation towns. But environmentalists and shoreline planners urged the state to think about how — and whether — to redevelop the shoreline as it faces an even greater threat of extreme weather.

''The next 50 to 100 years are going to be very different than what we've seen in the past 50 years,'' said S. Jeffress Williams, a scientist emeritus at the US Geological Survey's Woods Hole Science Center in Massachusetts.

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The sea level is rising fast, and destructive storms are occurring more frequently, said Williams, who expects things to get worse.

He and other shoreline advocates say the state should consider how to protect coastal areas from furious storms when they rebuild it, such as relocating homes and businesses farther from the shore, building more seawalls, and keeping sand dunes high.

How to rebuild after the disaster is becoming an issue even as New Jersey assesses its damage.

The state's death toll from Sandy climbed to at least 14 while 1.7 million customers remained without electricity Thursday and earth-moving equipment made its way for the first time to hard-hit barrier island communities.

In some coastal towns, residents were getting their first look at the damage, but they were being barred from checking out their property on barrier islands.

Most passenger trains were still suspended and lines were long at gas pumps across the state.

But there were some steps toward normalcy: State government offices and many schools reopened Thursday, and most New Jersey Transit bus routes resumed service.

The state's main focus was at the storied Jersey Shore, where houses were thrown from their foundations and parks and beaches were in ruins.

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In his evening briefing Wednesday, Governor Chris Christie reiterated that he wants to rebuild.

''I don't believe in a state like ours, where the Jersey Shore is such a part of life, that you just pick up and walk away,'' he said.

But the governor said homeowners in hard-hit areas should decide for themselves whether they want to rebuild or sell their property to the state for conservation. New Jersey has a program to buy flood-prone homes, but it has mostly been used for inland flood plains, not the shore.

The government, the Republican governor said, should not decide where rebuilding is and isn't allowed.

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, a Democrat, disagreed with Christie, saying that rebuilding after Sandy should include new ways to prevent damage from future hurricanes and storms.

Shoreline advocates say there are three ways to protect the shore from extreme weather: build more jetties and seawalls, keep beaches replenished, and relocate homes and businesses.

The physical solutions can help protect homes and roads, but they also cut off access to the beaches or water. New Jersey is known for having a lot of protective barriers.

The US Army Corps of Engineers says it has also moved more than 65 million cubic yards of sand for replenishment projects in New Jersey. The state government has done additional projects without federal assistance.