Flood waters covered most bayside streets.
By Donald Wittkowski
Ocean City will be eligible to recover most of its cleanup costs from January's coastal storm Jonas following a federal disaster declaration issued Tuesday by President Barack Obama.
The declaration means that the federal government will reimburse Ocean City up to 75 percent of its $70,500 in overtime costs from the powerful Jan 22-23 nor'easter, town spokesman Doug Bergen said.
Although the vast majority of the costs were for cleanup work from extensive tidal flooding, the city may also be eligible for federal aid for some minor damage to the dunes near Fifth Street in the north end of town, Bergen noted.
The storm left many streets underwater between West Avenue and the bay, along virtually the entire length of the island from First Street to 59th Street, Bergen said.
Flood waters recorded at the Ocean City Bayside Center reached a peak of 8.46 feet above mean low water, the highest level since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Sandy inundated the island with flooding that reached 10.2 feet above mean low water.
Most of the city's overtime costs were for flooding cleanup by the Public Works Department. The police and fire departments also had storm-related overtime costs, Bergen said.
The city will now have to submit paperwork to receive the federal aid.
"There's all kinds of paperwork. Generally, it is a lengthy process," Bergen said. "It's not quick."
