Nick Maria Returns To Jersey Shore And Discovers His Home Has Vanished

Man's Jersey Shore Home Vanishes

Nick Maria returned to the Jersey Shore after Superstorm Sandy to survey the damage to his house. When he got there, he realized, his home had vanished.

MyFoxNY reports that it wasn't Sandy that obliterated Maria's summer home. Apparently, it was the New Jersey Department of Transportation that made his home disappear.

"The township didn't know what happened," Maria told the station. "I called the governor's office and asked the assistant what happened. She said to me, 'Are you sure your house is gone? 'I said 'Miss, you misplace your pen or pencil. You don't misplace your house.'"

MyFoxNY called the DOT who sent along this response:

"The structure in question... was pushed off its foundation and jammed against another house that had come to rest in the middle of the street. The two houses had sandwiched a utility pole. Our crews did not take down any structure unless it was deemed to be unsafe..."

It appears that the DOT thought Maria's house was unsafe and decided to demolish it and get rid of all of Maria's belongings as well. The DOT did not immediately return calls for comment from The Huffington Post.

The damage wrought by Sandy has sparked a debate about whether it's wise to rebuild in coastal areas like the Jersey Shore, especially since, experts say, global warming makes these types of events more likely to happen in the future.

"We need to look at these islands geologically. Some islands you have to move back from; some you might not have to immediately," Orrin H. Pilkey, professor emeritus of earth and ocean sciences at Duke University told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's so hard to enforce these things in the climate of sympathy for the victims, but that's when you have to do it."

For a visual idea of the carnage brought by Sandy to the Shore and other areas, check out this interactive map.

Before You Go

Hurricane Sandy

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot