VIRGINIA BEACH, Va (WVEC) -- Croatan Beach's line of shore south of the Oceanfront took one of the hardest beatings from the weekend weather.
Heavy winds and waves caused dunes to look sliced in half with a knife. A deck stairway broke in half and fences were strewn about the sand.
Residents called it a typical nor'easter, and they've come to expect that damage is inevitable.
"There's not much you can do. The waves are going to come down," said Mike Kelly, Coatan Civic League Vice President. "The challenge here is it has been persistent."
Kelly has spent three years trying to get a more expansive shoreline similar to one a year ago.
"Imagine this beach right behind me where you could have two volleyball nets sitting side by side and the waves not coming anywhere near them," he said.
The city plans to start a beach replenishment project starting in the fall. The $1.7 million funding has already been approved, according to city officials.
The goal is to hold the water off from the dunes and homes in the future.
"The beach has needed a restoration for a long time," Kelly said. "And this [storm] is clearly indicative of it."