By MADDY VITALE
Ocean City may not have seen the full effects of Hurricane Ian as it continued up the coast after battering Southern Florida and leaving victims in its wake. But visitors to the barrier island Saturday watched in amazement at some of the roughest-looking seas the area has seen in a while.
For visitors to Ocean City, where it was 60 degrees and sprinkling some light rain around high tide at 1 p.m., it meant a stroll on the Boardwalk and beaches to check out the big waves.
And for Lisa Pauwels, of Philadelphia, and her husband, Greg, it meant celebrating her 60th birthday while staying in a rental for a few days with her friend, Dana O’Neill, of Maryland, her sister, Sharon Martenson, and her husband, Fred, of Vermont.
“We thought we’d be sitting on the beach. Instead, we’re having a hurricane party,” Lisa Pauwels joked, as she and her group left the beach before grabbing a bite to eat on the boards.
Fred Martenson added, “We came here two weeks ago scouting out a place for all of us to stay. The water was great. The weather was beautiful.”
But the group was not deterred by some gray skies and wet weather.
“We are weather people. This is great,” Greg Pauwels said, adding that the waves were incredible.
For the Pauwels, Martensons and O’Neill, watching the waves crashing onto the shore, was an amazing spectacle.
While some people walked on the beach to take video of the water, others watched just above the waves, in the loggia at the Ocean City Music Pier, where strong waves crashed up against the pilings of the pier. The pier was built in 1928 and has seen its share of storms.
Caroline Koch and her husband, Bill Lihou, of Ocean City, and their children, Gigi, 11, and 6-year-old Rosie, stood and looked out with astonishment in a spot at the end of the pier.
“This is the highest I have seen the water and roughest in years,” Koch said. “Honestly, I am surprised how far up the waves are coming.”
The strong seas also meant erosion to some of the city beaches, such as Fifth Street beach and the others just south of it, as is the norm during many coastal storms.
A beach replenishment project is planned for 2023 in Ocean City.
According to the National Weather Service, the area would feel the effects of the storm throughout the weekend into Monday, coupled with strong northeast winds progressively increasing tide levels.
Rains throughout the weekend could contribute to flooding conditions. Ocean City officials warned residents and visitors not to drive through flood waters, and do not drive around barricades.
Parking in all the municipal parking lots is free throughout the weekend. Parking also will be available at the Trinity United Methodist Church at 20 North Shore Road in Marmora. For more information about parking at Trinity, click here letter from Trinity
And the public ramp at Tennessee Avenue will be open throughout the weekend and free of charge for anybody who would like to take their boat out of the water, according to the weather statement issued by Ocean City.
“Even though we are not directly being impacted by (Hurricane) Ian, it is phenomenal how the water is so strong,” Koch said. “The Music Pier has really stood the test of time.”
For Police and Fire Department emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 609-399-9111.
