Cleanup Efforts Continue In Md. & Del. Coastal Communities
OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ)—Coastal communities in Maryland and Delaware were spared the harshest of Superstorm Sandy's destruction. But as we know some areas did get bruised.
Mary Bubala reports they're still cleaning up.
In Ocean City, bulldozers are re-building the dunes as businesses are trying to dry out from major flooding.
Superstorm Sandy hit the Beach Plaza Hotel hard.
"It's going to take days. We've already pumped two days, and we still have plenty of water left," said Richard Mills, Beach Plaza Hotel.
"We've got three pumps over here, and from there we got the mold damage and stuff. It's going to be a little work after that," said Scott Bohley, maintenance worker.
The road to an old bridge at Indian River Inlet, which connects Rehoboth and Bethany beaches along the Delaware coast, is destroyed. Construction crews are now picking up what's left. And for a time the new road leading to a new bridge was shut down, buried under 5 feet of sand from Superstorm Sandy.
"It's going to have a tremendous impact on the economy, people who can't get to the outlets, to the restaurants in that area, people who can't get to work," one woman said.
The new bridge reopened late Friday. The state of Delaware is preparing to demolish the old bridge but officials said Superstorm Sandy gave them a head start.
In Ocean City, the order to close the beach is no longer in effect and the inlet lot is currently open for residents and visitors. Town of Ocean City services, including trash pick-up and transportation, have been restored to normal schedules. In addition, the State of Maryland currently has a contractor on the beach that is responsible for debris removal, clean up, sand fence replacement and dune crossover repair for the entire beach north of 27th Street.
