Use Ferries to Evacuate if Hurricane Looms?

NORTH CAPE MAY — When an evacuation order is issued, could the five Cape May-Lewes Ferry boats be used to evacuate residents?
The boats could be sailed to ports in Wilmington, Del. or Philadelphia to protect them from the effects of a hurricane. A fear shared by emergency management officials is flooding on the two escape routes, the Garden State Parkway and Route 47 or a gridlock of traffic stretching mile after mile.
Delaware River and Bay Authority spokesman Jim Salmon told the Herald there has been no formal discussion of using the boats that could carry as many as 1,000 foot passengers.
He said there has been discussion of putting fire trucks and other emergency vehicles on the ferries to prevent the expensive equipment from being destroyed if it remains behind here. The vehicles would be returned to the area when the weather stabilizes.
Salmon said the ferries would be removed from North Cape May and Lewes, Del. at least 48 hours before heavy weather arrives in the area. He said evacuating residents on the boats was not out of the question.
A request would have to be made by the county emergency management director for use of the ferries, said Salmon.
The concept is not allowing any cars on the ferry, which would also make the lower car deck available for evacuees. The ferries have a capacity of about 1,000 passengers on the upper decks.
“You are allowed to put as many passengers on the boat as you have life vests,” said Salmon.
He said he did not have a count of life vests at present.
There is no prohibition of carrying passengers on the lower car decks, he said. Salmon said DRBA would be willing to help out any way that it could.
He said he would put the ferry director of operations in touch with Cape May County Emergency Management Director Frank McCall.
The Herald asked McCall last week about using the ferries. He said there hasn’t been any serious discussion of using the ferries for evacuation.
McCall expressed some concerns what passengers would do when they arrived in Wilmington or Philadelphia without a car.