OC empties ahead of Irene

OCEAN CITY -- An insistent evacuation of Ocean City began at midnight, and the resort hoped to
have all residents and visitors out of town by 5 p.m. today, as a hurricane heads for Delmarva.

At midnight, Phase 3 of the resort's evacuation plan went into effect, meaning everyone other than
emergency workers had to make their way across the bridges and out of town.

The decision was made late Thursday after overnight forecasts nudged the projected path of Hurricane Irene closer to the Delmarva coastline than had been expected Wednesday. Mayor Rick Meehan signed a local state of emergency declaration, which essentially shuts down the entire town. The sale of alcohol is banned, and all businesses were asked to close.

For Ocean City, Irene's eye "will pass very close by or just offshore later Saturday night into Sunday morning," Accuweather Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said Thursday.

It will bring heavy rain -- a predicted 9.5 inches in town -- that is expected to cause substantial coastal flooding, along with sustained hurricane-force winds reaching 90 mph, with gusts near 120 mph.

The highest wind speeds from the hurricane should occur at about 9 a.m. Sunday morning, according to an evacuation notification from Ocean City officials on Thursday. Gale-force winds are expected to begin affecting the resort Saturday at about 5 p.m., with hurricane-force winds kicking in Sunday at about 4 a.m.

"You got people with no idea what the hell's about to happen to them," said Worcester County Commissioner Virgil Shockley, who said he thinks not everyone will follow the evacuation order.

"You'll have people on the top floor of some hotel for a hurricane party."

Shockley said people need to get where they need to be by tonight, and they need to stay there. He likened the storm's potential to a "real nor'easter" multiplied by three.

If people don't heed the evacuation notice and stay in Ocean City, police who encounter them will take their name and next of kin information, said Ocean City police spokesman Mike Levy.

"After that, you're on your own," Levy said. If the town goes to Phase 4 of its plan, police and fire services will be suspended until the storm is over, he said.

After 5 p.m. today, the public will not be allowed to drive, bike or walk into town, Levy said.

Ed McDonough, spokesman for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, said he didn't anticipate mandatory evacuations for all of Worcester, Wicomico and surrounding counties, but that it hadn't been ruled out.

He said evacuees are more likely to be sent to local shelters than across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. If wind speeds in the area of the bridge reach 55 mph or higher during Irene's duration, the bridge will close.

In Somerset County, officials were expected to begin evacuating Smith Island, according to Yvette Sterling, assistant director of emergency services. Irene is expected to hit that area Saturday night at around the same time as high tide in Crisfield and Deal Island.

Somerset could see 6-12 inches of rain and tidal surges of 2-4 feet, which could cause serious flooding in coastal areas.

"I think Sunday morning's going to be a mess," Sterling said.

Ocean City's evacuation began with its first phase Thursday morning, when it asked planned visitors to stay away from town and began to evacuate its foreign-student summer work force. They were taken from the Roland Powell Convention Center by municipal bus first to Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, and then to a shelter in Baltimore.

The evacuation of some 4,000 students is expected to be completed sometime this morning.

"I'm not that scared, but it's good they're doing this," Elena Viscovatih, a native of Moldova, said while she waited with a bag to board a bus. "When we came here, we didn't expect to meet a hurricane. Last year, nothing like this happened."

One student from Moscow was distressed about the evacuation. She had a plane ticket for Saturday that would take her to New York. From there, she had planned to fly back to her home country.

"I don't know what I am supposed to do," she said in tears. "What do I do?"

» Staff Writers Liz Holland, Brian Shane and Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.