OCEAN CITY, MD โ (September 12, 2018): Ocean City emergency management officials are continuing to monitor Hurricane Florence, which is now showing a southern track and steering farther away from the Maryland coastline. While emergency management officials watch closely in the event of changes to the stormโs path, Ocean City continues to be open for business.
OC Bikefest events, including the ticketed concerts, have been moved to the Roland E. Powell Convention Center and will play as scheduled. Access to the eventโs Rommel Harley-Davidson and other select vendors is free and open to the public.
Although Ocean City is not expected to experience tropical storm force wind or heavy rainfall, property owners should still secure loose, lightweight objects including patio furniture and garbage cans. It is also advised to secure water vessels and anchor objects that would be unsafe to bring inside (such as propane tanks).
Ocean City will begin to experience lingering effects of the weakening category three storm, including wind, rain and tidal flooding, as early as Thursday night, September 13, and into Saturday, September 15. With minor flooding in the downtown area predicted during high tide cycles, emergency management officials are reminding residents and visitors not to drive through flood waters. Also, for residents and property owners in flood-prone zones, remember to protect your property by moving valuables to higher levels and keep important documents in a waterproof container.
The Town of Ocean Cityโs Emergency Management personnel works closely with local and state representatives to provide citizens with timely, accurate and essential information before, during and after the storm. To begin preparing, citizens should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan for potential relocation during a flooding event. For more information regarding preparedness, please visit: http://www.ready.gov.
Unbelievable . . . what is a motorcyclist supposed to do when they are stranded on a flooded road or a wind gust causes them to lose control. Or when those trash cans and other objects blow out in front of them while trying to escape. What does a person do when their vehicle or motorcycle is overcome when a coastal tide or flood arrives and their vehicle or bike is submerged (while they are in a hotel or a tent that could blow). I understand Ocean City’s need for business but failure to provide warnings to people would be setting yourself and taxpayers up for liable action. Just shaking my head. We have a Cat 4 storm folks and you are minimizing the effects to line your pockets.
I completely understand your perspective and the level of danger to motorcyclists if we were getting a Category 4 hurricane with high winds and flooding. However, it looks like we will get much less rain than predicted and winds with gusts up to 35 mph for a very brief period of time. All Bike Week activities have been moved into the Convention Center so you will be inside. I would anticipate that you would shelter for any thunderstorm or nor-easter just as you would for the relatively minimal impact Florence will provide for our area. I don’t drive my car into the flood waters in downtown Ocean City in a particularly high tide. I believe the Town of Ocean City has been very forthcoming and aware of potential devastating impacts of this massive storm. I have seen this Mayor evacuate the Town when it looked like we were going to be adversely impacted in ways that could be devastating to life or limb. We went unscathed that time and will hopefully do so again. However, I believe strongly that the government officials here would cancel events if necessary. We are very lucky. Those in NC and SC are not as lucky.