Matunuck: Erosion, tons of sand gone

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) -- It's the worst residents in the Matununck area have seen since 1954 when Hurricane Carol hit.

South Kingstown is seeing lots of erosion and tons of sand, gone.

The front row of ripped apart, now wide open summer cottages weren't always the closest to the tide.

"There used to be a road that went in front of it. And then you could park straight in and then you had a beach. Now the beach is gone, the parking's gone, the road's gone," said Chris Tribelli, who's been coming to Carpenter's Beach for 40 years.

Another homeowner had actually measured the beach front when the storm was peaking, and then again Tuesday afternoon.

"We lost around 43 feet of coast line just in that one storm," said Tom Shalvey, a property owner.

While plans to rebuild are already underway, there was an amazed sigh of survival up the road in Matunuck.

"Whether it was religious prayers or Karma or whatever you want to call it. There was some sort of force field around the Ocean Mist because water was on it," said Kevin Finnegan, Ocean Mist owner.

The storm raked away at the shrinking shore, but the Ocean Mist still stood strong. The owner said he felt the positive vibes coming from people who remained hopeful about his business.

"It's sort of heart warming and you kind of want to have a tear in your eye sort of thing," said Finnegan.

Meanwhile, various groups and agencies have been debating the erosion issue in Matunuck for years, but there are no solutions even in the planning stages.