The Princess Cottage at night, located at 705 Front Street, was severely damaged in Union Beach, NJ, because of hurricane Sandy. The planet is getting warmer and, as it does, our sea levels keep rising. Few events better put that phenomenon on display than Hurricane Sandy. The 13-foot storm surge is an example of what will, by mid-century, be the "new norm on the Eastern seaboard" says Harvard geologist Daniel P. Schrag. Few were spared in the working-class town of 6,200. More than 500 houses were damaged, and over 110 were destroyed. Homeowners, local officials and contractors swarm in each day, picking up the pieces one brick at a time. Then they vanish each night, leaving Union Beach to its own devices- a haunting silence that sets in every 24 hours when the sun dips behind the horizon.