As prepared as we can be

People in Ocean City fill up bags with sand in preparation for Hurricane Irene on Friday. / MARK WILSON/GETTY IMAGES

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City's streets were vacant Friday afternoon, on a day when they're normally teeming with people. The reason was an uninvited guest: Hurricane Irene.

Mayor Rick Meehan said he guessed at least 90 percent of people in Ocean City heeded instructions to evacuate.

"People are understanding the severity of the storm," Meehan said. Asked if there would be fines imposed on those who decided to stay, he said, "The fine is not being bright."

Meehan said he and several Ocean City department heads, along with some police and first responders, would ride out the storm in the Public Safety Building, which was built to serve as storm headquarters.

But he said when the storm is at its strongest, beginning this afternoon, it would become too dangerous to send rescue crews to emergency calls.

From 6 p.m. today and until at least Sunday evening, Ocean City will shut down its sewer system; a toilet would likely overflow when flushed. Since Ocean City's plant serves much of West Ocean City as well, county officials ordered an evacuation of West Ocean City and the area east of Route 611. They did the same for all properties in South Point, including Cape Isle of Wight, Mystic Harbour, Snug Harbor, Assateague Point, Frontier Town campground and Castaways.

Worcester County officials said their Top 3 concerns are rainfall, wind and storm surge. The county can expect 6-12 inches of rain, 3-5 feet of storm surge above the high tide levels, and sustained winds of at least 75 mph with gusts up to 100 mph, according to Teresa Owens, director of Worcester County Emergency Services.

Projected hurricane paths based on meteorological computer models usually show varying routes as a storm churns up the coastline, Owens said. Not with Irene.

"All models have been exactly the same, within miles of each other," she said. "Bottom line, best-case scenario, we are going to get flooded, we are going to get wind damage. The ground is going to be saturated. We're going to get hammered all night Saturday."

She said any county employees who had planned vacations have been called back. All hands are on
deck until the storm and its aftermath have been handled.

"Most of you have been training a long, long time for this," Bud Church, president of the Worcester County Commissioners, told a room full of department heads and members of law enforcement at an emergency planning meeting Friday. "We're as well-prepared as we can possibly be."

Church's remarks were interrupted by his own ringing cellphone. "It's the Board of Education," he told the assembled staffers, with a smile. Church put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear the robocall explaining how schools would be closed Monday.

Monday was supposed to be the first day of school for Worcester County students, but the board put that on hold so some of its buildings could be made available as shelters. Those schools are Stephen Decatur Middle School (pets OK), Stephen Decatur High, Snow Hill High and Pocomoke High (pets OK).

The school year won't begin until evacuees are safely out of shelters. Shelters will remain open as needed and more will be made available based on demand.

Owens expected they will soon fill up because nobody will be turned away.

"They're going to rough it," she said. "They're not coming to the shelters to be comfortable. You're going to be on the floor. They will be safe but not real comfortable."

The Casino at Ocean Downs decided to close today and Sunday, after initially announcing a closure not beginning until Sunday. In Ocean Pines, the homeowners association encouraged waterfront properties and places prone to flooding to vacate. But no broad evacuation advisory had been issued for Ocean Pines as of Friday afternoon. The Assateague waterfront parks were cleared out Friday.

County crews have been "working feverishly" since Tuesday, laying sandbags at public buildings prone to flooding, inspecting bridges and securing loose items at construction sites, said Public Works Director John Tustin.

Fire companies will not respond to calls for service once sustained winds reach 45 mph, said Worcester County Fire Marshall Jeff McMahon. "While you still have time to evacuate, you should," he said.
For county law enforcement, a major area of concern is the low-lying property between Stockton and Bishopville, said Worcester County Sheriff Reggie Mason.

Mason will have extra deputies in those areas to make sure people get out safely, in addition to the 25 deputies patrolling the entire county sector-by-sector for the duration. Another 20-25 deputies will be on call should more manpower become necessary, he said.

"I want people to know we're out there," Mason said. "If you need help, we're there. Right now, I feel prepared and ready to go."

Mason expects main roads to be inaccessible as a result of flooding and fallen trees, especially around the Pocomoke Forest area.

If deputies on patrol see any residents in dangerous places riding out the storm at home, they'll take down the residents' names and the names of their next of kin. The deputies will come back later to check on those people, Mason said.

» Staff Writer Charlene Sharpe contributed to this report.