While the Island was spared the brunt of Hurricane Sandy, reports early Tuesday confirmed severe erosion, especially on south-facing shorelines. The ocean washed over Norton Point Beach at Katama in Edgartown, turning the eastern end of the beach into a sandbar covered with water at high tide, said Chris Kennedy, superintendent for The Trustees of Reservations. Mr. Kennedy said it was not a new breach, but a wash-over. "It will come back, it may take awhile," he said. Mr. Kennedy also said Wasque point, which has been ravaged by erosion in the past year, lost 24 more feet of beach overnight. At the western end, he said about 15 feet of upland was lost.

Chunk of Lobsterville Road collapsed. — Albert O. Fischer

Mr. Kennedy said he had no immediate report on the Schifter house at Wasque that has been in the news recently due to threats from erosion, but photographs taken during the storm on Monday showed that a system of sandbags employed to try to shore up the bank beneath the house were awash in ocean waves. The Schifter house was on the agenda for discussion at the Edgartown planning board meeting Tuesday evening.

Long Point Reservation in West Tisbury has been closed due to severe ocean wash-over, Mr. Kennedy said. "We probably will have to keep it closed for several more days," Mr. Kennedy said. As of early Tuesday all Trustees properties on the Vineyard remained closed but some were due to reopen by the afternoon. Mr. Kennedy said Trustees staff had not been able to get out to Cape Pogue yet to assess the damage.

Lucy Vincent beach in Chilmark was also hard hit by erosion. “It's incredible,” Chilmark beach committee chairman Pam Bunker said the day after the storm. “It's all flattened from the entrance of the path until the first cliff, and a lot of the sand and dunes washed into the marsh.”

The cliff at Lucy Vincent collapsed in several areas. Ms. Bunker said town officials are waiting for the tide to go out to further assess the damage.

At Squibnocket Beach, the surf was still pounding over the parking area on Tuesday. Ms. Bunker said the lot would likely have to be resurfaced. The metal stairs down to the beach remained in place. 

Parts of the road at Lobsterville Beach in Aquinnah were undermined by the storm and collapsed. Town officials reported that the road was being restricted to one lane of traffic. About 30 feet of the road washed out to sea overnight, Aquinnah town administrator Adam Wilson said. “It's a mess,” Mr. Wilson said.

Dune overwash at Long Point. — Trustees of Reservations

At Stonewall Beach a private home was perched just a few feet from the edge of a cliff after the storm. The home had been moved back 26 feet in December 2011, town records show.

In Vineyard Haven emergency management director Chris Cini said there had been erosion at the Vineyard Haven harbor, still under assessment. And the dock at Owen Park was damaged.

Tuesday morning ferries were running again, roads were opened and the Vineyard was covered with a fine layer of leaves, branches, downed trees and thick piles of seaweed early Tuesday following a day of high winds and coastal flooding from Hurricane Sandy. The hurricane went ashore in New Jersey late Monday and caused widespread heavy damage in New York city where recovery efforts were beginning.

Schools remained closed on Tuesday, but government offices and most places of business were open again. The Vineyard Transit Authority was running all bus routes. The Chappaquiddick ferry was running. Power had been restored to most areas of the Island;  some outages were still being reported in Vineyard Haven. On the previous day the storm was accompanied by widespread scattered power outages from Aquinnah to Edgartown. Most people had their power restored by early or late evening, and emergency managers in Island towns were reporting mostly minor damage.

The storm was moving across the Midwest early Tuesday bringing heavy snow to some areas.

Weather conditions on the Vineyard were mild with light winds and intermittent drizzle. The Five Corners intersection in Vineyard Haven had been cleared of debris and no cars were waiting to board the ferry Island Home.

Reporters Remy Tumin and Katie Ruppel contributed to this story.