They pride themselves on being tough, resilient "shore people".
But Superstorm Sandy has made even them wonder whether life can ever be the same again.
A small bay-front corner of Pleasantville, New Jersey, is where Sandy made its second touchdown on land.
Houses that have withstood a century of extreme weather were picked and smashed to pieces inland.
Mike and Tracey Rock returned to their home on East Edgewater Avenue to find it had been shifted off its foundations.
A house where Mike's grandmother had lived, where he had sat through countless hurricanes since childhood, will now have to be demolished.
"It is devastating. This is our past. We all grew up here. We'll rebuild but it won't be the same."
As they picked through the debris down the street, they found their front porch and paintings that had hung in their living room.
They found a half-finished bottle of wine but are still searching for their bath.
They joke that at least their view of the bay is better - the house that was in the way has disappeared altogether.
A cash register is seen among the debris in Sea Bright, New Jersey The owner of that house was picking around a demolished roof in a garden a hundred yards away, trying to find any signs of home.
The neighbourhood is criss-crossed by narrow waterways, all now full of bits of houses tossed around by Sandy.
Lisa Broomsmith's home was shattered by a houseboat which was ripped from its moorings and thrown inland.
The garage where her husband had carried on the family tradition of toy-making has gone.
She said: "Seeing the defeat in his face has been the hardest thing.
"But this is not going to defeat us, this one perfect storm."
Like many families here, the Broomsmiths must wait for assessors to decide what happens next to their battered home. They did not have insurance.
All are thankful to have survived a storm that has been so deadly in their state.
John Tansey says his home - maybe his life - was saved by his old brown Ford van which stopped a boat dock from smashing through his house.
With remarkable efficiency, the Egg Harbour authorities are collecting piles of debris as fast as residents can place them on the pavement.
The memories and the scars of Sandy will take much longer to remove.
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