Declaring a state of emergency expedites the permitting process to dredge and restore sand in the area and opens the town to additional sources of funding and reimbursement from the Massachusetts emergency management agency (MEMA).
A strong storm with winds of 50 miles per hour hit the Vineyard Tuesday night, causing erosion, destructive washovers and scattered power outages throughout the Island.
After the tinsel and lights have been put back into storage, Christmas trees on the Island are getting a second calling.
Although initial cleanup efforts of the Dec. 18 storm have been completed, towns still face hard decisions as erosion continues to eat away at the edges of the Island.
The high winds and surf from Monday’s storm exacted a heavy toll on the Vineyard’s south shore, tearing several new breaches, eroding dunes and creating a sinkhole on Atlantic Drive in Edgartown
A bomb squad from the Massachusetts State Police was called in to handle an undetonated ordnance that had washed up on South Beach Thursday afternoon.