New Jersey nor'easter: Shore towns cleanup after powerful coastal storm causes flooding
Jersey Shore recovering after nor'easter causes flooding, heavy beach erosion
Parts of the Jersey shore are reeling after a powerful nor'easter pummeled the coast, causing widespread flooding and beach erosion.
NEW JERSEY - Parts of the Jersey shore are reeling after a powerful nor'easter pummeled the coast, causing widespread flooding and beach erosion.
The nor'easter spun up the coast late last week before hitting the shore on Friday night and lasting throughout the weekend.
Nor'easter leaves sand cliffs, beach damage in Atlantic City
A Nor'easter left massive sand cliffs and severe beach erosion along the Atlantic City boardwalk after a major beach replenishment project.
Atlantic City slammed by nor'easter
What we know:
Atlantic City was one of the hardest hit areas of the coast, with flooding that forced evacuations and power outages that left some still in the dark as of Monday morning. Officials said floodwaters ran from West End Avenue onto the eastbound lanes of Route 40 about an hour after high tide on Saturday.
Waves that reached 8-to-10 foot swells slammed into the beach, leading to significant beach erosion. The storm damage created a cliff from the boardwalk to the beach as of Monday morning.
Ocean City hit hard
Several businesses in Ocean City spent the day cleaning up after high waters quickly overtook West Avenue and surrounding areas, according to owners and city officials.
Mayor Jay Gillian said damage and beach erosion assessments are ongoing and options for new ordinances targeting reckless driving during floods are under review.
Neighborhoods and businesses face flood clean-up on West Avenue
Business owners described seeing water levels rise quickly.
Atilis Gym owner, Brandon Lambert, said he felt helpless watching from his cameras.
"It was a little bit of a shock to see where everything’s at, but it’s a work in progress to get everything back up, biggest thing is electric, trying to see what’s operational what’s not," he says.
On West Avenue, near 12th street, businesses suffered significant losses. Wawa and Sherwin Williams closed for the day to handle clean-up while Shoemaker Lumber Company remained open but said they lost thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise, among other issues.
While longtime residents and business owners said they anticipated some kind of flooding, they were not prepared for what they saw on Saturday.
"We had water throughout the store above our lowest level shelving, so we weren't prepared for it, we were not expecting that," said Ian Wallace, manager at Shoemaker Lumber Company. "My first year here was Sandy, and this is the worst I've seen since then," said Wallace.
A thick layer of mud and sand covered some parts of Ocean City.
Carly Linus, owner of Totally Tubular Water Sports on Bay Avenue, said, "The water broke through our back garage door and busted the bottom of that." She added, "I think everyone was expecting high tide and then it's going to go down, and that was it, and it just never went down. The wind changed, the waves got larger, the water was still pouring in, they closed the bridges, it was unlike anything anyone expected I feel like," said Linus.
Mayor Gillian said a recent beach replenishment project, which cost more than $19 million, kept the ocean from breaching the dune system, but a team from NJDEP’s Office of Coastal Engineering did post-storm surveys on the beach Monday to determine beach erosion.
Police stopped many vehicles during flood conditions, telling non-emergency drivers to go home, according to the mayor. Despite warnings, city officials said many people lost vehicles while traveling through floodwaters.
Ocean City considers new penalties after storm
City officials said they are considering the possibility of a new ordinance with penalties for reckless driving through floodwaters.
Cleanup underway after nor'easter slams New Jersey coast
Parts of the New Jersey coast are reeling after a powerful nor'easter pummeled shore towns, leaving roads and streets underwater and eroding beaches along the coast.
Major flooding in Wildwood
What we know:
Wildwood was another area that saw intense flooding caused by the nor'easter, leaving cars submerged and drivers stranded.
Nor'easter floods Jersey Shore, prompting emergency rescues with streets underwater
A powerful Nor'easter has slammed the New Jersey coast, bringing heavy rain, 60 mph wind gusts, and severe flooding to coastal communities from Atlantic City to Wildwood.
"Floodwaters is not something we're not used to, this was high, and it came in quickly," a Wildwood Fire Department official said.
Along with widespread flooding, intense wind gusts were clocked at 60 to 70 MPH.
Dry stretch ahead
What's next:
A dry stretch will begin on Monday to help areas impacted by the storm dry out. Sunshine is expected to emerge on Monday as temperatures climb into the mid 60s.
More sunshine is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures on each day reaching the mid 70s. The first day of October on Thursday will be sunny and warm, as high temperatures stretch to the 80s and remain there on Friday.
The Source: Information provided by the FOX 29 Weather Authority, business owners, Ocean City officials and previous FOX 29 reports.