Coastal flooding a concern as storm moves up coast
By The Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida pounded the East Coast today, flooding coastal areas of New Jersey and New York and eroding beaches in New Jersey after slamming the Carolinas and Virginia.
The wind and waves were strong along the New Jersey shore, but the rain was not as heavy as predicted. The storm peaked in New Jersey by midmorning, according to the National Weather Service.
Many streets were under water in Cape May County, where a state of emergency was issued. Although officials suggested voluntary evacuations of low-lying areas late Thursday, there was no word of any mandatory evacuations. But officials were unable to deliver meals to elderly shut-ins today due to the flooding.
"It's a big nor'easter," said Joe Duska, a 66-year-old retiree who was photographing 15-foot waves that were smashing against an inlet rock jetty in Manasquan. "I don't think I've seen one this bad in quite a few years."
Traffic was backed up over a mile on the Atlantic City Expressway because flooding closed other major highways into the gambling resort.
School buses and SUVs in Freeport, N.Y., on Long Island's southern shore, had to navigate streets with knee-high water.
