BY MADDY VITALE
People did their last-minute errands Friday, second homeowners checked on their houses and residents got ready for the storm by stocking up on groceries and prepared for what may be the first blizzard the region has seen in years.
Mayor Jay Gillian urged residents to stay in and “hunker down” to keep safe and allow emergency vehicles to have clear routes and Public Works vehicles to be able to plow the roadways.
Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency until 6 p.m. Saturday. Driving was not advised except for essential travel
“Please stay off the roads during the storm. With schools out and many people off for the weekend, it’s a good time to hunker down. Our police, fire and EMS responders will be able to get to any part of Ocean City during the storm,” Gillian said in a statement.
The National Weather Service predicted snowfall to be heaviest overnight Friday into Saturday, beginning at 8 p.m. The heaviest snowfall was forecast for 1 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Ocean City, like much of the region, was expected to get anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snow. The sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph could create whiteout conditions, the mayor warned in a detailed storm update Friday night.
The mayor also said that the Department of Public Works would be working around the clock to keep up on the roadways.
From the downtown to the Boardwalk there was a hurried sense, as people made preparations for the impending blizzard, while others cut their Ocean City vacations short to return home ahead of the storm.
Judi Bartelt, of Washington Township, N.J., and her longtime friend, Nancy Artese, of Clayton, N.J., stopped by some downtown shops and grabbed a quick breakfast.
The friends came down to check on their Ocean City vacation homes.
“We got down here at 11 a.m. today,” said Bartelt, who has a vacation home on 35th Street and West Avenue. “I have to move my porch furniture into my home. We rolled up the rug and brought everything that was on my second-floor balcony in.”
Artese said she had to give her friend some help.
“I own a condo at a building on Eighth Street. I wanted to check on it to make sure everything was OK and help Judi,” Artese noted.
By 3 p.m., Bartelt said, “We will be ready to roll home.”
Some people strolled along the Boardwalk and checked out the waves before they left town or headed back to their Ocean City homes.
Suzie Gallihue and her daughter, Taylor, and family friend, Pam Lottero, all of Maryland, came to town to visit Gallihue’s mother and brother, who live in Ocean City.
When Gallihue learned of the storm, she decided that they would head home early.
“We came down last night. We didn’t know the storm would be so big until I spoke to my brother,” Gallihue said. “We figured we would do some shopping and pick up our favorite pizza and coffee from Ocean City and visit family and head home.”
