Ian leaves minimal damage, but substantial flooding for Eastern Shore
Even after the remnants of Hurricane Ian soaked the Delmarva Peninsula and brought high winds, its impact is still being felt with minimal damage and flooding across the region.
The area had been under a Coastal Flood Warning for the past few days as the remnants of Ian passed by. Other hazard advisories also had warned of rough surf, storm surges and rip tides.
Among the areas more severely hit was Assateague State Park as day use areas remained closed Tuesday due to moderate to major coastal flooding with large dangerous waves and extreme high tides.
"We had significant erosion to our dunes and we have a significant drop-off now with some areas being 4-6 feet in height. (The storm) also damaged the crossovers where the public walks over to the beach and eroded back anywhere from 6-12 feet from the oceanside westward," said Angela Baldwin, park manager.
Due to extreme high tide and dangerous ocean conditions, the day use area of Assateague State Park will remain closed today.
Posted by Maryland State Parks on Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Baldwin explained the park's marina was also closed due to water levels at high tide being higher than the top of the piers. An inspection is planned to ensure they are still safe for visitors. The park's campground crossovers also remain closed, with no real access point to the beach open.
"We do have a team from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources coming down Wednesday morning to look at the damage and work with us on a plan to return to safe access to the beaches. I don't know what that will include at this point, but we'll be assessing that tomorrow," Baldwin said Tuesday.
She added that visitors must heed posted signed such as warning that an area is closed to safety concerns.
Elsewhere in Worcester County, the slightly changing course of the storm relieved much of the potential damage to the Eastern Shore.
“Due to the change in wind direction, flood levels were lower than anticipated, so the county made out relatively well. The high tide and surge was about 2 feet lower than expected," said Worcester County Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young.
Ian damage in Ocean City, Md.
The Ocean City Police Department told Delmarva Now it mainly saw "a few street signs blow over."
The area had been under a Coastal Flood Warning for the past few days as the remnants of Ian passed by. The Wakefield office of the National Weather Service had predicted 1-2 feet of inundation above ground level in low-lying areas.
"We saw flooding in the low-lying areas that are prone to flooding. Those areas include parts of St. Louis Avenue, Philadelphia Avenue below North Division Street and a few of the small side streets close to the bay," said the police department.
The Department of Public Works did not post barriers due to concerns they could be blown or washed away, which could pose additional safety hazards. The areas where Ocean City saw flooding are typical areas marked with “Flood Area” permanent signage.
Ian's impact on Chincoteague
Further south, beaches near Chincoteague Island and the town itself reported minimal damage, noting that the last-minute change in wind direction for the rain spared many low-lying areas that would have seen severe flooding.
"We don't have any damage within the town, and crews did a windshield assessment yesterday and again this morning. We had some minor debris on low-lying areas and roads. That was quickly taken care of and we had no water in homes and businesses," Bryan Rush, director of emergency services for the town of Chincoteague, said Tuesday.
Rush noted the town's causeway saw water levels within safe limits and thus never closed. Only a handful of roads on the south and east of the island saw water come up due to high tide.
More on Ian's remnantsWhat is left of Ian on the Eastern Shore?
More on a wet Monday after IanWhat the Eastern Shore looks like after Ian
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Ian leaves minimal damage, but substantial flooding for Delmarva Peninsula
