"Nature can be unforgiving. It is not unusual for wave surge to wipe out a hundred feet or more of beach that homeowners believed provided them a reasonable buffer. See, e.g., Whaler's Village Club v. California Coastal Commission, 173 Cal. App. 3d 240 (1985). The same is true of wave action that undercuts coastal bluffs, turning what were once expansive yards into dangerous cliffs. Seawalls and revetments can prevent such disasters—but only if they can be built and maintained."
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