Council Promises Action on Sea Isle Flood-Control Plan

By Donald Wittkowski At the height of the nasty nor’easter that lashed the Jersey Shore on Monday, Sea Isle City resident Mike Monichetti said he had floodwater about 4 feet deep in front of his home on 43^rd Street. Monichetti, a local restaurant owner who has lived in Sea Isle for 60 years, believes flooding has been getting progressively worse and poses a serious threat to the livelihood of the tourist-dependent beach town. “This flooding is out of control,” he told members of City Council at their meeting Tuesday. Monichetti and other residents urged city officials to take action before flooding overwhelms the low-lying barrier island. Council members assured residents that is exactly what the city plans to do as part of a comprehensive flood-control study that will be done in collaboration with the county, state and federal governments. Councilman John Divney characterized it as a “good step to move forward.” No timetable was given for completing the study. It is expected to be a sweeping analysis of Sea Isle’s most flood-prone areas as well as what can be done to protect them from raging ocean waters and the overflowing back bays. “It’s going to involve the county. It’s going to involve the state. It’s going to involve the federal government,” Andrew Previti, the city engineer, said during a presentation to Council about the flooding plan. Previti stressed that the plan should look at flooding from a broader, regional perspective rather than just limiting it to Sea Isle because that would open up the possibility of securing more public funding to fight the problem. City officials and residents agreed that it will take a huge amount of money to finance a comprehensive flooding plan, including the construction of better drainage systems, new pumping stations, dikes and road improvements. Sea Isle resident and restaurant owner Mike Monichetti believes flooding is getting much worse. “It’s going to be an enormous amount of money to address this flooding in Sea Isle City,” Monichetti said. Monichetti, the owner of Mike’s Seafood Restaurant on Park Road, said the local economy depends on solving the crisis. At his restaurant, for instance, he noted that delivery trucks and customers simply could not reach his business during Monday’s storm because the streets were underwater. “This is getting really, really bad,” he told Council. “We should really concentrate on this flooding issue.” Sea Isle is vulnerable to flooding even during moderate rainstorms, let alone powerful nor’easters, such as the one Monday, city officials acknowledged. “It only takes a little rainstorm and it gets flooded,” Councilwoman Mary Tighe said. “These storms are just inundating us,” added Council President William Kehner. Monichetti believes the flooding has been getting much worse since about 2000. He said he can remember widespread flooding occurring in town only three times prior to 2000, but since then, it has happened about 20 times. “I’ve never seen this much water – ever,” he said. Landis Avenue between 32^nd and 36^th streets and parts of Central Avenue around 42^nd and 43^rd streets are particularly flood-prone. Council members told the audience that they are not content to sit back and simply wait for the flood plan to be completed before taking action. Divney wants the city to search for ways to fast-track projects. “The point is, we’re doing things,” Divney said. “We’re not just waiting for the final report.” Some flood-control projects are underway or have already been completed, such as beach and dune replenishment. Previti noted that Sea Isle plans to work closer with Cape May County to make sure drainage facilities are better maintained. City Business Administrator George Savastano said the city is prioritizing drainage areas between 29^th and 60^th streets as part of shorter-term efforts to ease flooding. Floodwater from Monday's storm still covered Central Avenue near 42nd Street on Tuesday afternoon. Only a few blocks from City Hall, where the Council meeting was held, lingering floodwaters from Monday’s nor’easter continued to swamp some of the streets on Tuesday. Motorists encountered a series of orange “road flooded” warning signs as they made their way around town. Savastano said there was moderate flooding throughout the city during the brunt of the storm. Sea Isle posted advisories and sent out reverse 911 calls to warn residents as the storm approached the coast. “I think the city did an adequate job of informing folks in advance,” Savastano said. The nor’easter caused extensive flooding at the Jersey Shore, reflecting the challenges that Sea Isle and other beach towns face when big storms pummel the coast. Savastano said Sea Isle fared no worse with the flooding Monday than other beachfront communities. “I would say we’re very similar to neighboring barrier islands,” he said. Sea Isle’s updated master plan, which is still in draft form while awaiting final details on the city’s affordable housing obligations with the state, focuses on the need for a comprehensive flood-control plan. Council gave its endorsement Tuesday to a series of recommendations in the master plan dealing with flood control, beach access and converting the old public school into a community recreation site. After the affordable housing requirements are incorporated in the master plan, city officials will adopt the final document. Flooding was up to the curb near the Sands Condominium at the corner of 37th Street and Landis Avenue.