Wednesday, October 31, 2012

SIA Newsletter 10 31 2012 - UPDATE - Strathmere Now Open to Residents With ID via Ocean City


The following is from the Township Website:

Notice: Township of Upper
Strathmere and Whale Beach update:
Access will be permitted beginning at 1:00 PM
Access is ONLY from Ocean City, and residents MUST show identification with a Strathmere or Whale Beach address
 
 
 
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To All Strathmere and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,
It’s beginning to look like they will open access to the barrier islands sometime tomorrow, although certainly nothing is guaranteed. See links below...
If you’ve been watching TV, it’s pretty obvious that Strathmere was really lucky. Apparently the center of the storm came ashore in the vicinity of Atlantic City, meaning we were south of it and did not get the brunt of the onshore winds like places north of the center. Long Beach Island was devastated and locations farther north in New Jersey sustained great damage, as did lower Manhattan. Of course the damage to the Avalon approach to the Townsends Inlet Bridge shows that the storm south of the center was really something also.
Strathmere homes appear to have very little structural damage, although the water was high enough to get into many houses that haven’t been raised, and they may need floor replacements... We also understand that a high percentage of docks along the bay were severely damaged or are gone. The ocean, for the most part, did not come over our dunes in force, so most of the water in town came from the bay, meaning we did not get as much sand in the streets as in many of the bad northeasters in memory.
Whale Beach was a different story, as the ocean did come through there.
As to returning, that appears to be a county decision, as they plan to open access to all the barrier islands in Cape May County at the same time.
Here is the link to the Cape May County Website, which may post reopening news first: http://www.co.cape-may.nj.us/
Both communities north and south of Strathmere have postings of interest.
NOTE: Ocean City just announced that as of noon today, they would open access at both 9th and 34th Street for OC residents, business owners and property owners, who must show ID.
Here is Upper Township’s “Sandy” website”: http://www.uppertownship.com/Emergencies/town_hall_closure.htm 
After Irene, Route 55 backed up south of Millville because Route 49 was closed going to Tuckahoe due to flooding. We’re not aware of any closures there now, but here is the Cumberland County website location which does have a lot of closures of their county roads (mostly near the Maurice River on the Delaware Bay side): http://www.co.cumberland.nj.us/controls/NewsFeed.aspx?FeedID=3971
We won’t put pictures in this edition, because so many folks have posted so many great pictures. We want to especially thank Ted Kingston, Greg Bennett and Brian Riordan for the pictures they posted on Facebook.
Many of those were re-posted on the Strathmere Improvement Association Facebook Page by Linda Bateman (from sunny Fresno, California). We urge you to go to the SIA Facebook webpage and check out the pictures and information there. You may have to sign up to Facebook, but you do not have to post anything – you can just “look!
Once Carol Baker got power back at her home in Ocean View, she also posted many pictures - and also emergency / return info on the Strathmere Blog, here: http://www.strathmere.blogspot.com/ 
Thanks, Carol, for all that info.
Note that some of our firefighters have been able to return, but that won’t get you back in.
Wait for the “All Clear” for property owners before going back – hopefully on one of the links above.
 
 
 
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Thanks very much for your continuing support of the Strathmere Improvement Association!

Linda Bateman     
Elaine Holsomback      
Donna Diefenderfer       
Dorothy Addario                  
Ken Weaver




 

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