Storm Packs a Wild, All-Day Punch

By MADDY VITALE and TIM KELLY A storm ripped through Ocean City with wind gusts nearing 70 mph Monday, leaving debris, downed trees, power outages and homes damaged in its wake. “Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries, as of 2:45 p.m., but Ocean City remains under a high wind warning and tornado watch until the early evening,” Public Information Officer Doug Bergen said in an email. He said of the storm’s damage, “Roofs and shingles have been blown off homes. Signs toppled. Deck furniture, trash cans and other loose items scattered." At a time when the stay-at-home statewide restriction by Gov. Phil Murphy is in place due to COVID-19 except for essential travel, Bergen added, “It’s a good day to adhere to the shelter-in-place orders.” The storm rips off some of the siding from this home at Corinthian Avenue and Park Place. Bergen said at the peak of the storm's strength, the wind gauge at 59th Street reported a gust of 69.5 mph at about 11:11 a.m., with sustained winds in the 50 mph range in the same time period. It also meant loss of power to many homes and businesses. “Atlantic City Electric is reporting about 2,081 homes in the north end without power since about 11:12 a.m.,” Bergen said. By 3:30 p.m. the power was restored to the north end homes, he confirmed. There was not an estimated time for restoration of power to the other areas of the city at press time. “There are scattered, but much smaller outages throughout the rest of the island,” Bergen added. In addition to debris, damage to homes and power outages, Bergen said the storm also left some traffic lights damaged or without power. The barricade to the Boardwalk and beaches amid COVID-19 restrictions is knocked over by the storm. At the Gardens Plaza Condominiums, 921 Park Place and the Boardwalk, a gust of wind showed its immense power when it flipped over a dumpster. An overturned porta potty was pushed by the winds down Corinthian Avenue, moving along like a car. The city’s Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Frank Donato said the biggest issues were the power outages during the long storm that seemed to ebb and flow throughout the day. “There were several power outages in town. The biggest of which is 2,000-plus customers in the north end," Donato said. Otherwise, he said there were a lot of small pockets of power outages spread out through the community. Donato pointed out that the strongest recorded wind gust of nearly 70 mph in the late morning was at the beginning of the storm. After that, came the strong gusts of 50 to 60 mph at intervals through the day. An overturned porta potty is no match for the storm. In other areas of the region, Mother Nature proved her power. At Action Watersports in Somers Point, winds tore the roof off the building. The Wildwood Boardwalk and the historic Congress Hall hotel in Cape May each suffered damage in the storm, according to media reports. Officials noted that all residents and business owners should keep the following emergency contact numbers for local utility companies on hand to report outages or other problems during storms:

• Atlantic City Electric: 800-833-7476
• South Jersey Gas: 888-766-9900
• Comcast Cable: 800-COMCAST (800-266-2278)

The utility companies recommend that people contact them directly as soon as there is a problem so that they can properly track outages and repairs. For police and fire department emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 609-399-9111. An electric wire draped over this car shows the dangers of the storm.