A spectacle in the back bay off North Wildwood has become a huge concern for nearby residents.
The strength of high tide caused a home to collapse into the Grassy Sound inlet near the North Wildwood Bridge late Friday night. The house floated in the inlet several blocks, bringing the home from the north end of the community to the south end.
"We saw a chunk of a house, I assume it was from that house, floating down here,” resident Mike Daley told NBC10. “It clipped a deck and crumbled it like it was toothpicks. Unbelievable.”
Pieces of the house have been lodged in Grassy Sound Channel since the collapse.
“It’s dangerous,” said Debbie Mooers, owner of the Grassy Sound Marina located nearby. “There are at least four other locations where there are large amounts of debris.”
The Coast Guard issues a warning to boaters to use extreme caution when in the area.
“There could be debris underneath the water that you can’t see so ensuring that you’re going at a safe speed and operating your vessel properly is very important,” said P.O. Lantz Bowman of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Coast Guard officials say pieces of the home could still be on the move due to changing tides and shifting currents.
“There could be pieces that have broken away from the house or other debris from the storm that could be causing more hazards in the area and even further away,” Bowman said.
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Although New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection officials say they’re arranging to have the house removed quickly and efficiently, Stuart Tait, the home’s owner, told NBC10 he’s been trying to do the work himself.
“I’m trying my hardest,” he said. “I worked on it yesterday. I had a barge there. I picked up a lot of debris. It’s my stuff. It’s my possessions. I’d like to get my artwork. I’d like to get my stuff.”
Neighbors claim Tait’s home was deteriorating for years and its watery demise was bound to happen. Tait said he’s been strapped for cash since Hurricane Sandy caused severe damage nearly three years ago.
On Thursday the Army Corps of Engineers will use sidescan sonar and other survey equipment to look for debris in the water. Officials say the search could take up to four days.
