'We thought [it] would last longer': $500K sand dune project meant to protect homes from tide washes away in 3 days

Massachusetts residents were aghast after their $500,000 sand dune project meant to protect their beachfront properties withered away in just three days.

Residents of Salisbury, Massachusetts, spent more than a half-million dollars bringing in approximately 15 tons of sand, which were then shaped by crews and heavy machinery.

Record high tides were reported and flooded the streets of nearby Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, leaving debris in the streets and damage to homes.

Local residents were flabbergasted after the newly finished project was eroded in a matter of days.

"What we built this past month, sure, we thought would last longer," said Tom Saab, president of Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change. "But this king high tide hit with a storm out at sea, and it was devastating," he told the Weather Channel.

The nonprofit is pushing to get state funding after an estimated $300,000 worth of sand was washed away.

Shockingly, Saab said he has been fighting the "ongoing battle" since 1971.

Saab stated that the group's only plan is to continue to bring in more sand and place it around the properties.

"We have to continue to fight because if you don't keep trucking in sand and rebuilding the dunes, then the properties will definitely have no protection at all," he claimed.

As originally reported by Not the Bee, Weather.com reporter Jan Childs blamed the tides on rising global temperatures from greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. This was coupled by the citation that scientists, in general, have said that weather will get worse.

A meteorologist named Jonathan Belles stated that from "nor'easters to hurricanes, Salisbury gets touched by several large storms each year."

"Their proximity to the Atlantic Ocean gives them a source of moisture and their northern latitude also firmly places them under the powerful jet stream during much of the year. The town is also affected by coastal flooding pushed ashore by storms out in the Atlantic," he continued.

As for residents, they told WCVB Channel 5 they are concerned with their property value and aren't sure what to do.

"Beautiful properties here, a beautiful beach; I don't know what the solution is," said Ron Guilmette.

"You can move or you can stay with it. I mean, it's Mother Nature, you can't do anything about it," said local business owner Provo Provencal.

Homeowners, environmentalists, and others still plan on gathering for a meeting to come up with more plans to save the properties.

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