OCEAN CITY -- Hurricane Irene fell well short of expectations when she passed within 50 miles of Ocean City's beaches early Sunday morning.
The result went over well with residents, town officials and business owners, along with vacationers past and future, most of whom were preparing for crippling damages.
Instead of the heavily publicized worst-case scenarios, Ocean City is back open for business, and has been since noon Sunday -- less than 12 hours after the storm's most significant period.
No injuries were reported, and the storm brought only minimal structural damage and minor flooding in low-lying areas that is typical of a severe thunderstorm.
"We dodged a missile," said Mayor Rick Meehan on Sunday morning. "I think we're all happy to see how we fared."
The town was able to allow residents and business owners back into town at 9 a.m. Sunday so they could prepare to reopen when tourists began streaming across the Routes 50 and 90 bridges three hours later. The quickness of the re-entry was something Meehan said he didn't think anyone had expected.
Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said emergency service personnel were able to complete their evaluation of the town in a short amount of time due to the fact that most of the damage was "superficial" in comparison to expectations.
Two well-known resort landmarks were damaged during the storm: a portion toward the tip of the Inlet Pier was ravaged and the jetty tower at the entrance to the Inlet was toppled and washed away.
The hurricane passed within 50 miles of the resort's coast early in the morning on Sunday; it brought sustained winds of 60 mph, with the top-recorded wind speed measured at 80 mph. Rainfall totaled 12 inches, and there was a storm surge of about 5 feet, according to information released by Ocean City officials Sunday morning.
Wind and rains were most intense from a period just after 1 a.m. that lasted less than an hour-and-a-half. The storm reduced in power afterward. The beach's sand dunes, which are in place to prevent surges entering town, held up through the storm.
Many who rode out the storm in town were underwhelmed. Steve Vider, a longtime resident who lives on Somerset Street, said he's seen nor'easters do much more damage than Irene. He was strolling around the Boardwalk early Saturday morning, where most of the damage was aesthetic in nature. Some sand had been swept onto the planks, making it difficult to discern where the beach ended and the boards began. There was, somewhat ironically, damage to the facade at Quiet Storm Surf Shop on the Boardwalk and North Division Street.
Fourth Street resident LeAnn Price was nonplussed by the storm, as well. She'd decided to stay because Ocean City is her home, she said with a shrug as she walked around town surveying the limited aftermath. She didn't object to the town's decision to impose a mandatory evacuation, she said.
"It's better to be safe than sorry," Price said.
Meehan stuck by his decision to evacuate the town, even if damages from the storm end up outweighing the staggering loss in tourism dollars an empty summer weekend will produce. The information officials had when they made the decision to evacuate made it the right action to take, he said, adding that Saturday night and Sunday morning's conditions were not ones most people would want to vacation in or feel safe being exposed to.
Joe Theobald, Worcester County Emergency Services director, said he considered the actions taken during Irene to be a "successful exercise" that could be beneficial for efficient action in case of future storms.
"If something like this happens next year, they'll remember this year," Theobald said.
Emergency service personnel were pulled off the streets at around 9 p.m. Saturday, when winds reached 50 mph for a span of longer than 10 minutes. There were no 911 calls they were unable to respond to, according to Theobald.
The National Guard was called to the resort but were dismissed by town officials early in the morning to travel to parts of southern Maryland, where more aid would be useful.
"We felt it was responsible to alleviate them of their duties here," DiPino said.
DiPino's Saturday morning prediction that looting wouldn't be a problem held true for the most part:
There was one break-in in which a person took a case of beer but ended up leaving it at the scene.
They were either scared by someone or unable to carry it in the high winds, DiPino guessed.
The sun was shining early Sunday afternoon and people were coming back into town, where they were taking to the Boardwalk and the beaches in droves to enjoy the end of the weekend. Many surfers were quickly in the water, taking advantage of the lingering waves from the storm that are atypical in Ocean City.
The beach was open, but surf access was limited due to the waters. Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin warns the rough surf could continue for the next few days.
"This is the time you really have to be careful, because after these storms it gets really nice and sunny out, and people want to get to the beach and in the water," he said. "You have to realize the water isn't going to calm so quickly."
smuska@dmg.gannett.com 410-213-9442, ext. 14
The result went over well with residents, town officials and business owners, along with vacationers past and future, most of whom were preparing for crippling damages.
Instead of the heavily publicized worst-case scenarios, Ocean City is back open for business, and has been since noon Sunday -- less than 12 hours after the storm's most significant period.
No injuries were reported, and the storm brought only minimal structural damage and minor flooding in low-lying areas that is typical of a severe thunderstorm.
"We dodged a missile," said Mayor Rick Meehan on Sunday morning. "I think we're all happy to see how we fared."
The town was able to allow residents and business owners back into town at 9 a.m. Sunday so they could prepare to reopen when tourists began streaming across the Routes 50 and 90 bridges three hours later. The quickness of the re-entry was something Meehan said he didn't think anyone had expected.
Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said emergency service personnel were able to complete their evaluation of the town in a short amount of time due to the fact that most of the damage was "superficial" in comparison to expectations.
Two well-known resort landmarks were damaged during the storm: a portion toward the tip of the Inlet Pier was ravaged and the jetty tower at the entrance to the Inlet was toppled and washed away.
The hurricane passed within 50 miles of the resort's coast early in the morning on Sunday; it brought sustained winds of 60 mph, with the top-recorded wind speed measured at 80 mph. Rainfall totaled 12 inches, and there was a storm surge of about 5 feet, according to information released by Ocean City officials Sunday morning.
Wind and rains were most intense from a period just after 1 a.m. that lasted less than an hour-and-a-half. The storm reduced in power afterward. The beach's sand dunes, which are in place to prevent surges entering town, held up through the storm.
Many who rode out the storm in town were underwhelmed. Steve Vider, a longtime resident who lives on Somerset Street, said he's seen nor'easters do much more damage than Irene. He was strolling around the Boardwalk early Saturday morning, where most of the damage was aesthetic in nature. Some sand had been swept onto the planks, making it difficult to discern where the beach ended and the boards began. There was, somewhat ironically, damage to the facade at Quiet Storm Surf Shop on the Boardwalk and North Division Street.
Fourth Street resident LeAnn Price was nonplussed by the storm, as well. She'd decided to stay because Ocean City is her home, she said with a shrug as she walked around town surveying the limited aftermath. She didn't object to the town's decision to impose a mandatory evacuation, she said.
"It's better to be safe than sorry," Price said.
Meehan stuck by his decision to evacuate the town, even if damages from the storm end up outweighing the staggering loss in tourism dollars an empty summer weekend will produce. The information officials had when they made the decision to evacuate made it the right action to take, he said, adding that Saturday night and Sunday morning's conditions were not ones most people would want to vacation in or feel safe being exposed to.
Joe Theobald, Worcester County Emergency Services director, said he considered the actions taken during Irene to be a "successful exercise" that could be beneficial for efficient action in case of future storms.
"If something like this happens next year, they'll remember this year," Theobald said.
Emergency service personnel were pulled off the streets at around 9 p.m. Saturday, when winds reached 50 mph for a span of longer than 10 minutes. There were no 911 calls they were unable to respond to, according to Theobald.
The National Guard was called to the resort but were dismissed by town officials early in the morning to travel to parts of southern Maryland, where more aid would be useful.
"We felt it was responsible to alleviate them of their duties here," DiPino said.
DiPino's Saturday morning prediction that looting wouldn't be a problem held true for the most part:
There was one break-in in which a person took a case of beer but ended up leaving it at the scene.
They were either scared by someone or unable to carry it in the high winds, DiPino guessed.
The sun was shining early Sunday afternoon and people were coming back into town, where they were taking to the Boardwalk and the beaches in droves to enjoy the end of the weekend. Many surfers were quickly in the water, taking advantage of the lingering waves from the storm that are atypical in Ocean City.
The beach was open, but surf access was limited due to the waters. Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin warns the rough surf could continue for the next few days.
"This is the time you really have to be careful, because after these storms it gets really nice and sunny out, and people want to get to the beach and in the water," he said. "You have to realize the water isn't going to calm so quickly."
smuska@dmg.gannett.com 410-213-9442, ext. 14
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