On Saturday, March 16, the members of the Sea Isle City Historical Society will host a public presentation titled “Our Perfect Storm and Our Community’s Perfect Response,” which will focus on the events that unfolded during and following the infamous Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962.
The free community event will be held inside the main meeting room of the Sea Isle City Branch of the Cape May County Library, located at 4800 Central Avenue. The library building is also the home of the Sea Isle City Historical Museum.
The doors of the meeting room will open at 11 a.m. Visitors may view a display of storm photos and artifacts.
Local historians will begin the presentation at 12 noon. Additionally, the Sea Isle City Historical Museum will be open prior to and after the presentation, allowing audience members to explore the museum at their leisure.
The Ash Wednesday Storm (also known as the Great March Storm of 1962) devastated Sea Isle City and other communities along the East Coast.
Sea Isle City’s wooden boardwalk was destroyed, many local homes were washed out to sea and numerous businesses suffered damage.
While some lives were lost in the storm’s path on the East Coast, fortunately there were no deaths in Sea Isle City. However, the residents of Sea Isle City were trapped on the island for three days before emergency evacuations were possible.
During the presentation on March 16, firsthand accounts will be shared with the audience, and historians will explain how the people of Sea Isle City responded to the storm, including how they rebuilt their community following the storm’s devastation.
There will also be an opportunity for audience members who survived the storm to briefly share their memories.
The list of speakers during the “Our Perfect Storm” presentation will include:
- Joyce Molter: president of the Sea Isle City Historical Society.
- Leonard C. Desiderio: mayor of Sea Isle City and director of the Board of Cape May County Commissioners.
- Joseph LaRosa, Jr.: author, storm survivor, and foremost authority on the ‘62 storm’s impact on Sea Isle City.
- Jack Gibson: engineer, former New Jersey assemblyman, current Sea Isle City councilman and storm survivor.
- Pat Haffert: Sea Isle City resident and storm survivor.
- Diana Perry: Sea Isle City resident and storm survivor.
For more information about “Our Perfect Storm and Our Community’s Perfect Response,” go to https://seaislemuseum.com/.
