Coastal Homes & Businesses Brace for Jose’s Waves

September 19, 2017 7:47 pm

By: Tim Studebaker

MATUNUCK, R.I. – The coast has been taking a beating for the past few days as Jose churns offshore. High surf and beach erosion are both concerns for some of the homes and businesses that face the ocean head on.

It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. And each time a storm comes around, the Ocean Mist in Matunuck has a front row seat to all the action.

Patrick McMullen is an accountant and bartender at the Ocean Mist. McMullen says, “I mean, this is not the first storm we’ve had. We’re always worried. Something could always happen. It could always be a different storm. But we always get through it.”

A wall along the road offers some protection, but when you’re this close to the ocean, you’re bound to feel something.

McMullen says, “The building does shake. The building does rattle. But, it’s always still standing.”

He says sometimes the beach erosion is noticeable.

McMullen says, “It always changes up a little bit, but then two weeks later, we have another storm, another surge, and the beach is right back there. It’s mother nature. It takes what it wants, and it gives us back what it wants.”

Sometimes, the building takes a hit.

McMullen says, “Every once in a while, the waves rock the deck underneath, and the deck boards get a little bit loose. We’ll come out next couple of days later and bang the boards back down.”

They’ve only had to close once in the last ten years for weather, that was because of Sandy.

McMullen says, “We had to evacuate Matunuck. Most of southern Rhode Island had to plan accordingly. We did close for a little bit, but we got new bathrooms because of Sandy, so maybe Jose will bring us something else.”

We spoke with McMullen during low tide on Tuesday. The next high tide is at 8:00pm Tuesday. The Wednesday morning high tide is the highest of the month.