Ellmer also said he believes the erosion in Lido and Point Lookout is due to the creation 25 years ago of the Jones Beach jetty, which borders the Jones Beach inlet. "The extension of the Jones Beach jetty ... has prevented Point Lookout from receiving the natural flow of sand that occurs east to west," he said, adding that he believes that making the jetty smaller, or extending the last jetty in Point Lookout, would help with the problem.

Marvin Weiss, another longtime ocean lifeguard and Long Beach native, agrees that the creation of the Jones Beach jetty exacerbated sand loss on the eastern barrier beaches. Nonetheless, Weiss said, he believes there has been a lot of beach buildup compared with the 1970s. "Mother Nature has worked pretty well that way," Weiss said of the natural buildup in Long Beach. "Sand comes and sand goes."

Weiss said he has seen ocean water come up to the boardwalk, but he isn't concerned with beach erosion. He is more concerned with flooding on the bay side of the barrier island.

Ellmer agreed. "The real damage is when the canals overflow, because the high tide doesn't get a chance to recede," he said.

"The nor'easter of November 2009 and March 2010, as well as the other winter storms, caused considerable flooding to the Canals section of the city," said Theofan, explaining that bulkheads were damaged and soil behind the bulkhead was lost.

Theofan said the city is considering having an engineered beach, which would make it eligible for federal funding when there is significant erosion. The city is also finalizing designs to replace bulkheads in the Canals.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray is calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in rebuilding the areas of beach lost in Lido West. FEMA denied aid to the town in November.

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