Andrea Is A 'Wake Up Call' For Residents In Ocean City
OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- The storm also brought a lot of rain to the far Eastern Shore.
Mike Hellgren has more on how Ocean City dealt with Andrea.
The rain was coming down on and off, the skies were ominous and the waves were picking up as they watched the weather closely in Ocean City.
The beaches were largely empty, except for some surfers, as the first tropical system of the season made its presence known in Ocean City.
"It's kind of choppy, but normally it's a lot more rough. This is actually clean, from what I've seen. Swell's up, it's not too bad," said Keith Butler, surfer.
Rain from the storm pooled on some of the low lying streets downtown, and in the parking lot at the Inlet. Areas that typically flood.
"We've been out securing barrels, moving barrels off the beach. Just doing those routine things to make sure we mitigate any possible problems at all," Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan.
"Probably be closing the gates along the sea wall sometime later today if, in fact, we anticipate the winds to be blowing sand around. So, really just precautionary measures and then by tomorrow morning, probably sometime you probably won't even know the storm came through," he continued,
The Air Show, a huge draw this weekend, is still on.
And while many avoided the beach, the Boardwalk was bustling.
"The weather's been really nice except for today. And as you can see, I have a lot of sun," a woman said.
"It's just been like this all day. It's basically been raining since this morning," another visitor said.
Emergency management officials are used to these systems, and have been tracking Andrea closely.
"This is just a wake up for the community, the beginning of hurricane season, and things happen. So be prepared and have a plan in place and listen to government officials," said Joe Theobold, Emergency Management Director.
Despite the weather, they still expect big crowds in Ocean City this weekend.
