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Second storm to bring more floods, erosion to southern New Jersey

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By ELAINE ROSE Staff Writer | Posted: Saturday, October 17, 2009 | 3 comments

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Madison Avenue flooded in Atlantic City around 8 a.m. Saturday. A second northeast storm brought high tides to the area, flooding many streets and stranding vehicles.

Photo by: Anthony Smedile

High tide has receded, but the waters aren't going anywhere across much of southern New Jersey.
The George Reading Bridge in Middle Township, the Townsends Inlet bridge between Sea Isle City and Avalon and parts of the Route 52 Causeway between Somers Point and Ocean City were closed for much of this due to flooding, according to Cape May County spokeswoman Lenora Boninfante, though they were all reopened by early Saturday afternoon.
There was also four feet of flooding reported in West Wildwood during high tide, which peaked at about 7:11 a.m. this morning.
Parts of Shore Road in Absecon have also been shut down since about 8:30 a.m., Absecon police said, though the Dorset Avenue bridge in Ventnor is also back open.
"Right now, the flooding seems to have receded," said Ventnor Fire Capt. Thomas O'Brien. "But we expect more flooding at hight tide tonight (7:24 p.m.), and the bridge may end up closed again."
Boninfante said that the extent of beach erosion in Cape May won't be fully known until Monday, while O'Brien said that erosion in Ventnor is widespread.
"We've been putting tape across the stairs leading to the beach," O'Brien said. The beach has washed away so much that it's a steep drop."
Cape May County declared an emergency overnight, Boninfante said, which allowed for assistance from New Jersey Transit, the Department of Transportation and the National Guard, which made seven trucks available for use.
Boninfante added that there have been no reported power outages in the county.
The National Weather Service, meanwhile, has extended the coastal flood warning until noon Sunday.
The brunt of the second storm, which was still forming off the coast of the Carolinas on Friday night, is expected to arrive this afternoon, said Mike Gorse, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
Meanwhile, much of southern New Jersey is recovering from the first storm.

Flooding made it impossible to enter Ventor Heights, officials said Saturday morning.

Linda Gilmore, Atlantic County spokeswoman said a morning high tide of seven feet flooded streets giving motorists no way into town.

"The Office of Emergency Management is advising residents to just stay put. The water is just starting to recede," Gilmore said.

Gilmore added that the Dorset Avenue bridge and West End Avenue are closed.

Saturday morning's high tide created even more havoc, as the skies released more water, the back bays filled up and Sunday night's new moon approaches, the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management said in a warning issued to municipalities.

The first system brought slightly more than an inch of rain to southern New Jersey, and the second one will bring another inch to an inch and a half, Gorse said. It will be windy, but not significantly so. Gusts could reach 40 mph along the coast.

Friday night would see mostly light rain and drizzle, but the precipitation will pick up today, Gorse said. The heaviest rainfall will be this afternoon into Sunday morning.

By Sunday afternoon, the rain should begin to taper off, Gorse said.

Friday morning's high tide caused even more damage to the dunes on the Ventnor beach and flooded areas near the bay, said Ventnor Fire Chief Bert Sabo.

"The tide was under the Boardwalk from Richards Avenue" to the Atlantic City border, Sabo said. "For a minor storm, this was pretty intense," and proved to be much more serious than predicted.

The Dorset Avenue bridge linking Ventnor Heights with the rest of Ventnor on Absecon Island was closed most of Friday morning, as was a stretch of Landis Avenue in Sea Isle City and Routes 47 and 147 in Wildwood.

In Sea Isle, 15 students and their driver were taken off a school bus that drove onto a flooded road and got stuck Friday morning. No injuries were reported.

High tide Friday night brought more flooding, enough to close the Route 52 causeway in both directions between Somers Point and Ocean City. Sections of the Black Horse Pike/Albany Avenue in Atlantic City and Pleasantville were also shut down because of flooding. Long Beach Boulevard in Long Beach Township, Ocean County, had to be closed from 66th Street to 97th Street

At least one car had to be towed away from the intersection of Albany Avenue and West End Avenue in Atlantic City after the driver unsuccessfully tried to make it through 2 feet of water.

Elsewhere in the state, a winter storm watch was issued for northwestern Sussex County, where 1 to 3 inches of snow was expected to fall by tonight. From Thursday through Friday morning, the first storm dropped 2 inches of snow in northwestern areas of the state.

And amid all of this, there is a ray of hope.

"We have a pretty good shot of at least some sunshine appearing on Monday," Gorse said.

Staff writers Martin DeAngelis, Donna Weaver, Steven Lemongello and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Elaine Rose:

609-272-7215

ERose@pressofac.com

Posted in BREAKING on Saturday, October 17, 2009 11:30 am Updated: 3:02 pm.

/news/breaking

3 comments:

  • avatar Samurai Warrior (187) posts 1:21 pm

    they don't have floods in Las Vegas.

  • avatar ConcernedCitizen (222) posts 12:12 pm

    Luluann you're also paying for the beach replenishment as a result of these storms!!

  • avatar Luluann (32) posts 12:02 pm

    Ok, first of all I'm tired of paying for national flood insurance for individuals, in NJ or other states, who choose to live in a flood zone. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who chooses to do so, should pay their own flood insurance. Bet the Jersey beach coast would see a lot of vacant homes.

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