Hempstead beaches restored after Superstorm Sandy

HEMPSTEAD (WABC) -- The only thing more refreshing than the ocean today was the fact that you no longer have to carve out a small spot in the sand at Point Lookout and for several miles of shoreline along the Barrier Islands.

Two years of storm recovery after Sandy have finally paid off.

The Army Corps of Engineers worked tirelessly back in January and February to remove 680-thousand cubic tons of sand from the Jones Inlet, which was then pumped onto the beaches.

"They shot it over to our beaches, and then the town of Hempstead distributed the sand to our beaches. That's why every one of our beaches is more than double the width," Kate Murray, Hempstead Town Supervisor, said.

There's beach today that did not exist last year.

"It's a dramatic difference. It really is. We were on top of each other. I would've been in the ocean where I'm sitting right now," Point Lookout resident Gaile Littlefield said.

"What's not to like about a beach that's twice as big as it was last year? Last year we were all huddled together tightly and this year we could spread out far and wide," another resident Chris Bollo said.

It was all paid for with federal money. The project was necessary to clear this inlet for boaters after Sandy, but it had a dual purpose. The dunes are now at least 10 feet higher and more than 200-thousand beach plants now keep the dunes in tact.

It's a far cry from the fall of 2012 and the destruction that residents won't forget, but with July 4th fast approaching, the sight of all the sand is a welcome one. It's a sign for these communities that Sandy is behind them.