Status of Grassy Sound house debris, removal process

Structure debris resting in Old Turtle Thorofare; Courtesy of Matt Ulmer

The remnants of the Grassy Sound home that tumbled into the channel over the weekend continues to be a topic of local discussion and social media curiosity.

We went to Middle Township administrator Connie Mahon, who provided us with some updated info on the removal process.

According to Mahon, two large sections of the home, still highly visible, drifted south under the North Wildwood Boulevard Bridge and are now floating in the Old Turtle Thorofare.

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be surveying to find out exactly where all the remnants are located," Mahon said. "The next step is for a side scan sonar to be performed, which will help locate smaller pieces of debris.

"State and federal officials are coordinating efforts to determine [the time frame for removal] now. They are also coordinating efforts with the U.S. Coast Guard."

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Mahon also outlined the timeline of response after the structure's collapse early Sunday morning.

This info gives a sense not only of how quickly the response was organized, but the precautions that were made by numerous agencies to ensure that the debris caused no threat to the surrounding area:

* Middle Township Police initially responded to the scene upon report of the house collapse around midnight on Friday, October 2.

* MTP immediately contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and the NJ State Marine Police, as well as Middle Township OEM (Office of Emergency Management).

* Once the wind died down and conditions allowed, MT-OEM met with the DEP-OEM director, a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a representative of NJDEP Land Use, Committee members and MTPD.

* A meeting occurred on-scene Sunday morning to investigate, perform a preliminary survey and strategize. DEP-OEM Director Bob Van Fossen is expected to report back on findings shortly.