Delaware
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) - After staring at the possibility of the first direct hit by a hurricane on Delaware, state officials and residents were relieved that damage from Sandy was less than feared.
Some southern coastal areas remained underwater Tuesday, but officials said the damage was less than expected, given that early forecasts had Sandy making landfall in Delaware. No deaths or injuries were reported.
One official said the fact that the storm picked up speed shortly before making landfall helped minimize the damage in Delaware.
The worst-hit areas appeared to be Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island, were several residential streets were flooded. Storm-driven waves also wiped out beach dunes north of the Indian River Inlet and left the major north-south coastal highway covered in sand.
National Guard
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) - National Guard soldiers are helping to restore order in Delaware, assisting police with traffic control, evacuations and transportation through high waters during superstorm Sandy.
The News Journal reports about 500 Delaware Guardsmen were deployed throughout the state. A military police unit also helped Delaware State Police set up checkpoints.
The work continues Wednesday. Guardsmen from an engineer company will bring five bulldozers and a grader to the Indian River Inlet Bridge to help remove sand and other debris.
The National Guard effort ran into trouble Tuesday when a large truck towing a water trailer lost control and slid down an embankment. It overturned on southbound Delaware Route 1 near Roth Bridge. The two occupants of the truck were treated and released from a hospital.
Delaware Emergency Order
DOVER, Del. (AP) - Gov. Jack Markell has lifted the state of emergency in New Castle and Kent counties, but has kept the order in place for Sussex County because some areas remain flooded from superstorm Sandy.
Markell lifted the orders at 5 p.m. Tuesday and also removed the Level 1 driving warnings across the state. He warned the public to remain cautious because of closed and flooded roads in some parts of the state.
Under the continued Sussex state of emergency and evacuation order, State Police, local police and National Guard personnel will continue to restrict access to areas deemed unsafe.
Water Test Kits
DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware Public Health is offering free drinking water safety tests kits for residents on private wells after superstorm Sandy.
Officials say 15 percent of Delaware residents are on private wells, which could be affected by flooding.
Test kits will be available when state offices open. Information is available from the DPH Storm Recovery call center at 866-408-1899. The call center is scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
Delaware Parks
DOVER, Del. (AP) - Outdoors enthusiasts in Delaware can get back to the great outdoors now that superstorm Sandy is gone.
State officials planned to reopen day use areas at most Delaware State Parks on Wednesday for normal operations.
Exceptions include the Brandywine Zoo, Cape Henlopen State Park and Delaware Seashore State Park, which remain closed for cleanup and damage assessments.
Officials say campsites, cabins and yurts at Lums Pond and Trap Pond State Parks will reopen Wednesday, and that Killens Pond State Park campsites and cabins will reopen Thursday. Campsites, cabins and cottages at Delaware Seashore and Cape Henlopen State Parks in Sussex County remain closed.
State wildlife areas also were to reopen Wednesday for duck hunting and recreational activities, except for Assawoman in Sussex County.
Power Outages
Delmarva Power is reporting 74-hundred customers without power in Maryland and Delaware.
Maryland
CRISFIELD, Md. (AP) - From flooding on the Eastern Shore to blizzard conditions in Maryland's mountainous west, the state experienced the full variety of Sandy's wrath.
Hundreds of people were displaced by floodwaters in Ocean City and in Crisfield after the superstorm. And 2 feet of snow fell in westernmost Garrett County, were nearly three-quarters of residents lost power.
In densely populated central Maryland, two people were killed and hundreds of thousands lost power at the height of the storm.
A National Weather Service meteorologist says it's unusual to see a tropical storm and a blizzard on the same map at the same time - much less in the same state.
Ocean City
In Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan told reporters that he believed the resort would be back in business today after surviving Hurricane Sandy.
The storm packed winds of 80 mph destroying around a 100 feet of Ocean City’s pier.
But there were no reports of deaths or injuries.
And the Salisbury Daily Times reports that while there was no immediate estimate of damage most of it appeared to be superficial outside of the pier.
Meehan said that most people did evacuate the town including 98 percent of the late-season tourists.
As a result the number of emergency service calls was just 231.
On Monday the Maryland National Guard Humvees took 49 people to safe zones.
Delmarva Power shut off the electricity to the downtown area as the storm hit on Monday.
Crisfield
CRISFIELD, Md. (AP) - From flooding on the Eastern Shore to blizzard conditions in Maryland's mountainous west, the state experienced the full variety of Sandy's wrath.
Hundreds of people were displaced by floodwaters in Ocean City and in Crisfield after the superstorm. And 2 feet of snow fell in westernmost Garrett County, were nearly three-quarters of residents lost power.
In densely populated central Maryland, two people were killed and hundreds of thousands lost power at the height of the storm.
A National Weather Service meteorologist says it's unusual to see a tropical storm and a blizzard on the same map at the same time - much less in the same state.
Salisbury
SALISBURY, Md. (AP) - While many in Salisbury weathered superstorm Sandy with minimal damage, flooding from the Wicomico River has damaged some downtown businesses.
The Daily Times reports the river has spilled over its banks more than once in Sandy's aftermath due to tidal surge.
Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton says the city hasn't seen a situation this bad with the river. He says the tidal surge was worse than in Hurricane Irene or Hurricane Isabel.
Volunteers gathered Tuesday to help throw away thousands of ruined books in front of Market Street Books. Other offices along the river also were beginning the effort to clean up the mess.
Salisbury Zoological Park is closed until the water recedes. But officials say the animals are OK, and there are no reports of major damage.
Solar Power
WESTOVER, Md. (AP) - Constellation Energy is poised to open two solar power plants in the tiny Eastern Shore town of Westover.
The plants on former farmland off Costen Road are scheduled to open before the end of the year. They will generate 4 megawatts of electricity.
The Daily Times of Salisbury reports that the plants will to serve electricity needs for the University of Maryland Medical System and Chesapeake Renewable Energy.
Early Voting
REISTERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - Gov. Martin O'Malley says early voting will resume in Maryland on Wednesday, after two days of cancellations due to superstorm Sandy.
O'Malley said Tuesday that an extra day of early voting and extra hours will make up for all but one hour of early voting that was lost because of the storm.
Early voting had initially been scheduled to take place Saturday through Thursday, but it was called off Monday and Tuesday.
It will now resume Wednesday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., and Friday will be an added day.
The deadline for absentee ballot applications has also been extended until Wednesday. The new deadline is 8 p.m. for applications received by mail and 11:59 p.m. for applications received by fax or email.
School Closings
Accomack County Schools
Delmar School District
Indian River School District
Somerset County Schools
Sussex Tech High School
Worcester County Schools
Worcester Prep School
