Winter storms leave Germany's North Sea island beaches without sand
Germany's popular North Sea beach resorts, including the high-end resort of Sylt, are coming into the beachgoing season with a big problem: not enough sand.
The turbulent storm surge season has almost completely washed away the main beach on Wangerooge.
"It's quite a disaster," said Rieka Beewen, a representative for the town's mayor's said. Almost 80,000 cubic metres of sand were missing.
The islands of Norderney and Baltrum also reported significant sand losses. As a result, fewer beach chairs than usual could be set up on Baltrum for the time being. The beaches are to be replenished with sand from the eastern parts of the islands, delivered by pickup lorries.
The East Frisian Islands off the coast of Lower Saxony recorded more sand losses than the North Frisian Islands in Schleswig-Holstein, according to a survey of the island municipalities conducted by dpa.
Storm "Zoltan" in particular caused damage around Christmas. Lower Saxony's state government promised the island communities financial help to rebuild the tourist infrastructure.
On Sylt, frequent and long-lasting storms during the winter season caused visible damage to the beaches, said Grietje Stöver from the island's tourist service.
"Years like this happen occasionally," she said.
The State Agency for Coastal Protection assesses how badly Sylt's beaches are actually affected and what measures need to be taken for coastal protection every spring during its beach inspection - which is due to take place shortly. Minor damage on the islands of Amrum and Föhr should be repaired by the start of the beach season.
