Friday, February 20, 2009

ERODE TO RUIN

First, property values in the Hamptons started sinking - now it's the properties themselves.

Beachfront homes in the Hamptons hamlet of Wainscott - including the one belonging to cosmetics heir and former mayoral candidate Ronald Lauder - are slipping into the ocean, thanks to severe erosion brought on by high winds.

"These houses are sitting ducks," said Larry Penny, the director of the town's Natural Resources Department.

"The erosion is relentless. We don't see any relief in sight."

As the situation stands now, ocean waters have wiped away so much land that many of the houses sit just feet from a sheer drop where the dunes end and the beach begins.

Continued...

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