Sea Isle’s Close Call with Sandy Resulted in Major Damage

SEA ISLE CITY – Whether the city had a direct hit from Hurricane Sandy or a very close call remains to be seen, however one thing is for sure – the damage sustained from the October storm will long be remembered.
“We say a near/direct hit because none of us are meteorologists,” said Katherine Custer, Director of Public Relations.
With its sand-covered streets, flooded homes and businesses and windswept debris, the effects of Sandy virtually crippled the city.
Custer said in a ride through the municipality three days after the storm, “It was easy to see how much work has been done to clear the sand. We’ve given a lot of effort into clearing the sand away from Central Avenue, Pleasure Avenue and Landis Avenue.”
The northern end of Landis Avenue, which leads into Strathmere, still remains covered by sand and is impassable Custer said in a Nov. 2 interview. City road crews, along with county crews, are working diligently to ready the road for traffic.
Flooding affected almost the entire city – including the Public Safety Building which houses the police department and Office of Emergency Management on JFK Boulevard and City Hall on Landis Avenue.
“We never lost police communication,” said Custer. “Our police department worked diligently around the clock to maintain communication and our Office of Emergency Management stayed on top of everything.”
According to Custer, both buildings took on at least one foot of water on their first floors. When asked why two of the city’s most utilized buildings took on water, Custer said the nature of the hurricane was unusual.
“You have to keep in mind that this was an extreme storm. It was an unusual set of circumstances. One of those was the full moon that brought a high tide in,” she said. “We live on a barrier island and it’s an unfortunate fact that sometimes this is going to happen, especially in older buildings like City Hall.”
Custer said while comparisons to the 1962 storm that rocked the barrier islands have been made by residents who were living in the city 50 years ago, a true comparison cannot be made.
“We have a different animal today. We have flood restrictions; we’re building stronger buildings, our infrastructure is stronger.”
Parts of the Promenade were torn apart from water damage. Many metal railings along the way were destroyed with dune fencing lying in piles. Many of the dunes installed to prevent flooding were flattened as the ocean ripped across the sand and streamed its way toward homes and businesses.
Metal benches on the Promenade near the Excursion Park sat in sand almost up to their seats. In the center of town, the city’s band shell seems to have weathered the storm relatively well.
“From what I heard, the band shell is intact and in good shape.” Custer said she did not believe water had infiltrated the band shell. The area in front of it, however, was not so lucky and was strewn with debris.
Close to Excursion Park, the aisles of Dalrymple’s Hallmark Shoppe were filled with water logged books that had come down from their shelves onto the floor.
Chuck Dalrymple stood in the back of his store moving waterlogged containers. He said this was the worst flooding the store had experienced since his family took ownership.
During the storm, power outages were prevalent but utilities have been restored to most parts of the city.
Custer said the city’s water system was “not affected by Hurricane Sandy and the quality of our fresh water supply was never compromised.”
Due to the devastation, residents and visitors were prohibited from entering the city until the afternoon of Nov. 1 while emergency personnel and utility crews conducted their clean up. A police barricade was set up on Sea Isle Boulevard near the Garden State Parkway ramps where officers turned away cars.
Access to town was only via Sea Isle Boulevard, not through Strathmere or Avalon.
After a three-day wait, residents were allowed back into the city to check the damages to their properties. In order to gain access, proof of residency or ownership had to be presented. While residents were allowed to return to their homes, the city enforced a ban on sightseeing.
According to a city directive, as of Nov. 2, beaches, beach access ways, and the entire Promenade were closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
“Sea Isle City has experienced some damage, as every other barrier island has,” said Custer. “But we are in full recovery mode. The mayor expects us, as we all do, to emerge from this experience stronger than ever. This event has proven, once again, how well Sea Isle City comes together during events.”