By Donald Wittkowski
Fortunately, there was no repeat of Jonas this time around.
This weekend’s winter storm dumped about a half-foot of snow or more on Ocean City and Sea Isle City, but both towns escaped without major damage and also avoided any tidal flooding, officials said.
Compared to the blinding snow, ice floes, ferocious winds and extensive flooding unleased by the infamous nor’easter Jonas in January 2016, this January storm was largely an annoyance.
“It was nice to have a snow storm without the tidal flooding,” said Frank Donato, emergency management coordinator for Ocean City. “We’ll definitely take a snow storm of this variety without the effects of flooding.”
Donato said plow crews with the city’s Public Works Department did a stellar job keeping local streets clear of the estimated 6 to 8 inches of snow that blanketed the town on Saturday.
The Sea Isle City beaches remain in great shape, despite the storm.
“It seems that all of the main roads are clear, if not dry,” he said in an interview late Sunday afternoon. “I think for the most part, the town’s in good shape.”
With the primary roads being free of snow, Ocean City’s public schools are scheduled to start at their normal time on Monday morning, Donato said.
In Sea Isle, there were no police reports of any storm-related damage or flooding over the weekend, city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
“It didn’t seem like there was anything eventful happening,” she said. “There wasn’t a lot of traffic on the island.”
The city sent out a reverse 911 call to residents on Friday night to warn them about the approaching storm. As an added precaution on Saturday, the city closed the Welcome Center at the foot of John F. Kennedy Boulevard, normally a popular stop for visitors arriving in town.
Custer estimated Sea Isle’s snowfall was around 6 or 7 inches. But by Saturday night, the roads were clear and people were out on the town having dinner at local restaurants, she noted.
“I don’t think we had any problems at all,” Custer said. “We were driving around (Saturday) night, restaurants were open and stuff like that. It was all good.”
With three more months to go with winter, owners of vacation homes at the seashore are reminded to keep their thermostats set at 55 degrees or higher and to have their exterior pipes drained by a certified professional to avoid freezing.
