With Tropical Storm Hanna already clear of the Delmarva Peninsula as late afternoon and evening arrived on Saturday, Sept. 6, residents and visitors alike turned out by the dozens to check out the storm-tossed waves of the Atlantic and see what, if any, damage had been left in the storm’s wake.
By and large, the answer to that question was none — a puddle here, a pile of pinecones and twigs there, an occasional broken branch, and mild to moderate erosion to the front sections of the area’s reconstructed beaches.
Residents on Saturday compared the storm and its damage to that of the May 12 nor’easter that left significant damage and major erosion in its wake, saying the May nor’easter, despite not being a full-fledged tropical system, had been much more severe.
Still, surfers turned out to take on the pounding 5- to 8-foot waves off Bethany Beach, under the watchful and sometimes dubious eyes of onlookers who crossed to the top of the new — and rebuilt post-May 12 — dune to see how much Hanna had whipped up the sea.
Not even the town’s infamous flooding problems along Pennsylvania Avenue compared to the May storm, with only large puddles resulting from a system that fell well short of predictions of 4 to 6 inches of rain. Voting in town council elections took place as planned, though the annual Boardwalk Art Festival was canceled due to the storm.
Sussex County emergency officials said that, at worst, the storm had knocked down trees limbs and disrupted power to a few thousand customers in pockets of the county.
“We have been very fortunate today, and we’ve fared better than what the forecast called for 24 hours ago,” EOC Director Joseph L. Thomas said Saturday evening. “We have not had any reports of serious damage or flooding, nothing more than some sporadic tree limbs down and power outages. And I think once these last bands of rain move out and the center passes over, conditions should really begin to improve.”
Thomas noted that damage was limited because wind speeds and rainfall were not as severe as had been anticipated. The highest wind gust was approximately 40 mph, recorded in the coastal area early on Saturday. Rainfall was limited to less than 2 inches – well short of the 4 to 6 inches originally predicted.
Crews from Delmarva Power and the Delaware Electric Cooperative worked throughout Saturday to restore service to the estimated 3,000 customers lost power in the county. Only a few hundred customers remained without service at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
While the weather forecast for the day following the storm called for clear skies and warm temperatures, officials noted that rip currents were expected to remain strong along Delaware’s coast. Swimming was not advised, they said. Surf conditions were expected to be rough, and doubly dangerous since many area beach patrols either have limited staffs or have ended coverage for the season.
Art festival canceled, elections held as scheduled
Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce officials on Friday morning announced the cancelation of Saturday’s annual Bethany Beach Boardwalk Art Show in light of the oncoming storm, citing concerns about wind, rain and potential overwash of the ocean up to the boardwalk.
In an e-mail dated Friday, Sept. 5, the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce wrote: “We regret to inform you that the Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival scheduled for this Saturday, Sept. 6, has been canceled due to extreme weather conditions created by Tropical Storm Hanna. The storm is expected to hit our area on Saturday. Beginning tonight we are expecting heavy rain, with rain and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour on Saturday. Weather this extreme would create an unsafe environment for artists, attendees and the volunteers that participate in this show. As you are already aware, there is not a rain date for this event.
“We’d like to thank you for your patience and your positive feedback as we’ve communicated our concerns about the weather over the last few days. Again, we are deeply disappointed that bad weather has canceled this great event.
“We’d also like to thank our sponsors: Presenting Sponsors NVHomes/Ryan Homes, Supporting Sponsors Bluewater Wind LLC, Mariposa at Bethany, Seacoast Realty and PNC Bank - Fenwick Island, and Media Sponsors Coastal Point and Delaware Today for their support of this event. We’d also like to thank our volunteers and the Town of Bethany Beach.
“Thank you for your understanding and we hope to see you next year under blue skies and sunshine.”
Despite the ominous forecast, in Bethany Beach, officials confirmed Friday that scheduled voting in town council elections on Saturday would take place as planned, between noon and 6 p.m. at the town hall, regardless of the weather. However, they noted that the town trolley would be running throughout the day and should any voter have special transportation needs because of inclement weather, they could call the Bethany Beach Police Department and the town would arrange for their transportation.
Turnout at the polls was considered relatively strong, though absentee balloting was even stronger compared to previous years.
Electricity supplier urges hurricane preparedness
As Tropical Storm Hannah traveled closer to Delaware on Saturday, Delaware Electric Cooperative continued preparation for the potential extreme weather that the storm was expected to bring and offered safety tips for its member-owners.
In the event of storm-related damage, DEC’s Rob Book advised:
• Do not approach service vehicles while they are in the process of repairing any electric equipment.
• Do not attempt to move any broken poles or downed lines since there could be energized lines nearby.
• Do not touch any damaged metering equipment.
• Do not attempt to remove downed brush or trees away from lines, poles or transformers.
• If you are in a car and a line is touching it, stay in the vehicle and wait for help.
Also, consumers were reminded that if they decide to use a generator during a power outage to isolate it from the DEC system. Do not connect a generator to household wiring unless protective equipment (a double throw switch) has been installed. On a distribution line, a transformer functions to step down electric voltage to a consumer’s household. However, this process can be reversed. Crews working on the system would be put in danger if high voltage is carried back through the line.