Dear Friends,
Despite some relatively clear weather on Saturday afternoon, Ocean City still faces a serious threat from Tropical Storm Hermine as it moves up the Atlantic Ocean.
Forecasters remain uncertain about the exact track of the storm, but they predict, under any scenario, that Ocean City will experience high winds, rough surf and widespread flooding. I urge you all to take every precaution to remain safe and to protect your vehicles and property. The latest forecasts suggest the worst flooding now could occur on Sunday night and Monday morning.
I continue to urge residents and guests to move vehicles from areas that typically experience flooding well in advance of high tides at 10:52 a.m. and 11:02 p.m. Sunday, and 11:32 a.m. Monday. The streets closest to the beach are generally the highest, and the city has waived fees at all parking meters and municipal parking lots. We also have made arrangements with Trinity United Methodist Church in Marmora for parking on the mainland. The church is at 20 North Shore Road (please park in the grass field to leave parking lot spots open for Sunday services).
The Ocean City Beach Patrol announced Saturday morning that the ocean will be closed to swimming at all beaches for the remainder of the holiday weekend. For your own safety, please respect this precaution and do not venture into extremely dangerous waters.
Do not drive through floodwaters – for your safety, the protection of your vehicle and to protect properties near flooded roadways from damage.
I encourage everybody to closely monitor weather conditions and follow us on Facebook, ocnj.us and OCTV-97 for important updates. For those of you without Internet access, we will issue Code Red emergency alerts by telephone, if necessary.
I also ask that you read the FAQ prepared by the city team. Look for another mayor’s update with the latest information on Sunday afternoon, and in the meantime, we will continue to provide any necessary emergency notifications.
Jay A. Gillian
Mayor
