May 13, 2008 12:58 pm US/Eastern
Nor'easter Pummels Jersey Shore
ATLANTIC CITY (CBS3/AP) ―
Thousands remain without power after a powerful Nor'easter
struck the Jersey
Shore Monday.
Residents in the coastal section of Cape May County
were chased from their homes as area roadways flooded and more than 60,000
people were left without electricity in the wake of the storm. Officials said
over 13,000 remained powerless as of Tuesday morning.
Standing floodwaters and debris prevented many crews from reaching parts of
Strathmere and Sea Isle city.
Dozens of cars in West Wildwood were destroyed as flood waters quickly rose in the streets. Many residents said they did not have any official warning of the rising tides as flood sirens did not sound.
On Monday, wind gusts reached 50 mph in many parts of the state, and
hurricane-strength gusts of 76 mph were recorded in Sea Isle City.
Cape May County declared a state of emergency due
to flooding, but did not insist that residents evacuate, according to emergency
management director Francis McCall.
"There's flooding on all the barrier islands," he said. "People
have left on their own, but it wasn't mandatory."
Schools were closed in Wildwood, North Wildwood and West Wildwood due to tidal
flooding, and the Route 52 causeway between Ocean City
and Somers Point had to be closed at 2 p.m., also due to flooding.
In Salem County, residents started calling 911
around 2:30 a.m. to report downed trees and debris blocking several roads, said
Freeholder Bruce Bobbitt.
Areas of Ocean County
were experiencing tidal flooding, and a box truck overturned in high winds on
the Route 72 causeway into Long
Beach Island,
closing that busy thoroughfare to eastbound traffic.
Portions of several highways, including Route 35 in Aberdeen
and Routes 1 & 9 in Newark,
were closed periodically because of flooding.
Incoming flights were delayed by nearly 2 1/2 hours at Newark Liberty
International Airport
due to bad weather.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
