Six of the 19 homeowners in this Delaware Bayshore section of Fairfield Township applied to the state Department of Environmental Protection for buyouts, with some applying within the past three days, DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said Wednesday.

Makatura said the DEP has not decided whether to proceed with buyouts, and negotiations have not begun on the purchase of the homes, which sit behind a failing seawall that was built last year. She declined to identify the homeowners who sought buyouts.

The small village, which is situated on New Jersey's southwest fringe just yards from the Delaware Bay, has been threatened by erosion for decades. Most storms cause flooding in the area, and the inland marshes and streams don't alleviate the problem. One road leads into the village and it floods during rains.

Sea Breeze once was a popular tourist attraction and vacation area, drawing vacationers to hotels and an amusement pier via steamship as early as the late 19th century. Storms and fires destroyed the last of the commercial enterprises here, but 19 homes remain, some as vacation homes.