BELMAR, N.J. (KDKA) — They are our adopted hometowns – Avalon, Stone Harbor, Sea Isle City – but Sandy has consigned many of these New Jersey vacation spots to memories of summers’ past.

“Everything’s destroyed,” said Sr. Ellen Marvel, of Sea Isle City. “They just replaced the dunes not too long ago, a couple years ago, and everything’s really destroyed.”

Sandy dealt a heavy blow to the Avalon waterfront where several homes were knocked off of their foundations and condemned.

But folks like Tony Rubino are grateful.

“It’s not a limb, it’s not a… you know, everybody’s safe and this all can be replaced,” he said.

In Sea Isle, Sandy picked up the beach and its dunes and deposited them in the streets.

Bulldozers worked hard Thursday to remove mountains of sand from those streets as the cost of the storm’s cleanup and repair seem astronomical.

Repair numbers for Sandy are being tossed around, $20, $30, even $50 billion, but repairing infrastructure, and access roads like one destroyed by the storm in Avalon, are going to be big ticket items.

Still, there is resiliency.

“We’re grateful,” said Sr. Marie Haas, of Sea Isle City. “We have all and more than we need.”

As well as a will to get it all back before next summer and even soon.

“It’ll be ready in a month,” said New Jersey resident Jim Compton. “We’re strong people here.”

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