Location of Long Beach Township in Ocean County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Ocean County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Long Beach Township, New Jersey
Most of the township is located on Long Beach Island, a barrier island along the Atlantic Ocean whose summer population swells to as much as 130,000, including part-time residents and tourists.[20] In October 2012, Long Beach Township was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy, with township mayor Joe Mancini estimating that potential costs to repair the damage estimated as high as $1 billion across Long Beach Island.[21] As a result of the storm surge, flooding and high winds, dozens of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. After the waters receded, streets were left covered with up to four feet of sand in some spots.[22] Governor Chris Christie issued a mandatory evacuation order on October 28, and it remained in place until a full 13 days after the storm.[23] The township established a Sandy Relief Fund to assist residents in their recovery from the hurricane.[24]
^Eftimiades, Maria. "Long Beach Island Journal; When Summer Ends, Residents Take Back Their Way of Life", The New York Times, September 9, 1990. Accessed November 10, 2012. "That spirit is echoed throughout this 22-mile island, which connects to Manahawkin by four bridges across Barnegat Bay. And although tourism drops considerably in the off-season (according to the 1980 Census, there are 13,000 year-round residents), the population grows to about 130,000 in summer."
^Hutchins, Ryan. "Long Beach Island officials shocked at extent of damage from Hurricane Sandy", The Star-Ledger, October 31, 2012. Accessed December 24, 2013. "'You go back and look at images of '62,' said Long Beach Township Mayor Joe Mancini, referring to another devastating storm.... The cost of rebuilding is staggering: It will take at least $700 million to remake this 18-mile strip of land, an estimate that could certainly surpass $1 billion as more is learned, Mancini said as he surveyed the damage on the southern tip of the narrow barrier island."