KYW Newsradio Team Coverage
The remnants of Hurricane Ida have been blasting areas of the East Coast for the better part of four days, and the storm was flooding town at the Jersey shore. High winds and high water have prompted Cape May County officials to declare a state of emergency.
Authorities were investigating the discovery of a human body that washed ashore in North Wildwood, NJ on Friday. Sources indicated that the body appeared to have been in the water for more than 24 hours, and investigators were working to determine whether the body was that of one of three fishermen who were missing for several days off the coast of Cape May.
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KYW's Michelle Durham reports that traveling around parts of Wildwood, NJ was difficult on Friday.
Robert Riegelbuto is captain of the Wildwood police force:
"It was difficult getting onto the island, between the George Redding Bridge and the North Wildwood Bridge being closed due to the high tidal floods. Most people had to utilize the Ocean Drive in Wildwood Crest -- but now that bridge has closed as well. So it's making it difficult for people to get in and out of the island."
Riegelbuto was bracing for the second high tide of the day, scheduled for about 5pm. In the meantime, he has this advice for anyone who still wants to come down to Wildwood:
"There's no need to come here -- you are not going to stop any property damage by coming here. The storm is going to do what the storm is going to do."
In Atlantic City, emergency management official Tom Foley says there was some property damage:
"We saw a lot of cars being under water and a lot of property damage with water encroaching. And we had several calls for people wanting to evacuated, but we had close to 50 mile an hour wind gusts."
So Foley advised everyone to stay put, so as not to put police and firefighters at risk while the water was receding.
KYW's Mike DeNardo reports that sections of 34th Street in Ocean City, NJ were practically impassable on Friday morning. The roads were not only completely underwater, but there were wind-blown waves on the water surface.
A few National Guard humvees were on the streets there, but not much else. Most vehicles weren't able to get through the high water. There was a voluntary evacuation in effect throughout Cape May County.
An Acme supermarket parking lot was full of cars, and not because they're having a blowout sale. The lot is on relatively higher ground, and many residents decided to leave their cars there to get them out of harm's way.
And it's not just homes and businesses that were in danger of serious flooding. The beach -- already damaged by significant erosion -- is getting pounded by rough surf.
KYW's Jim Melwert reports that this storm was forecast to be one of the worst since the the early '90s, and officials say it's living up to its billing.
Cape May County officials were urging people to stay off the streets in the shore towns.
The George Redding bridge into Wildwood was closed because of flooding, as well as the bridge to North Wildwood.
The Route 52 causeway into Ocean City is closed.
The entrance into Avalon was also closed.
Strathmere, NJ was severely flooded, as was Sea Isle City. Basically, the west (bay) sides of all the shore towns were dealing with flooding.
Wildwood, Avalon, Atlantic City, Strathmere, and Sea Isle City were all dealing with high waters.
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Cape May County communications director Lenore Bonafonte hoped that some roads cleared up as tides moved out. But she says that won't be the end of it:
"We are still concerned about high tide this (Friday) afternoon, High tide on the ocean is 4:51pm, and on the back bay at 6:51."
Beaches also have taken a pounding, with a lot of erosion along the coast -- even some damage to the boardwalk in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City Electric was reporting about 1,300 customers in Cape May County were without power. Numerous schools in the Jersey shore area were closed for the day.
(Photos by KYW's Mike DeNardo)
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