Local News

Ocean City Prepares For Tropical Storm Hanna

OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ/AP) ― Ocean City gets ready for Hanna.

Mike Hellgren reports tropical storm warnings are up for most of the state.

The day started sunny Friday, but the skies darkened and heavy bands of rain spilled down on Ocean City in the evening upon Hanna's arrival.

The ocean became rough and some white caps could be seen.
 
Clouds enveloped Ocean City, as the town prepared for Hanna's arrival.

There was back breaking work as crews dug holes into the beach to put up a fence to stop as much sand as possible.

"All the way as far as we can go today and tomorrow, you know, that we can get everything pretty well situated for the storm," said Tony Davis, Ocean City Public Works.

Seats from the ferris wheel were removed, and just about anything that could blow away sits in a big pile in a parking lot at the south end of the boardwalk.

"I was a little worried. I'm going to worry, but you know what, I paid for a week's vacation, I'm going to stay 'til the bitter end," said one vacationer.

"At first, we were going to leave tomorrow, but we're going to leave tonight because we want to beat the wind and the rain coming in tomorrow," said a tourist.

Beach patrols are on guard 24-7 protecting swimmers from dangerous waves, rip currents and anything else Hanna, a storm that has already proven deadly, may bring.

"What we try to do is make sure all our vehicles are filled up and all of our buildings are outfitted with fuel for our ATVs that we use on the beach. Just in case there's an electrical problem and the fuel pumps didn't work," said Lt. Ward Kovacs, Ocean City Beach Patrol. 

The mayor tells Eyewitness News he does not expect the storm to pack a devastating punch, although it's not a thing to take lightly.

"It's a bit disorganized. By the time it gets up in our area, it's going to be a coastal storm event. We are looking now at maybe winds 40, 45 miles per hour sustained Saturday morning, 9 o'clock in the morning until five in the afternoon," said Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan.

Many businesses remained opened; the boardwalk was still bustling. The incoming tropical weather did not scare people away from the beach. 

"There's nothing I can do to change it, and the authorities say to be safe and of course I'll do what they say, but yeah, nothing to be scared about," said a beach goer.

They've also put up high water signs in southern parts of Ocean City.  Gates along the boardwalk were closed as well.

Tropical Storm Hanna forced some campers to leave nearby Assateague Island National Seashore, but the famous wild horses weathered the storm just fine.

Ranger Christopher Seymour says the ponies know where to find sheltered spots on the barrier island off the Maryland-Virginia coast. He says some of them even sleep through big storms.

Tent campers weren't so lucky. Park managers asked them to leave their campsites in the national park as the storm blew in.

Campgrounds in the Maryland state park section of the island were closed on Friday and will reopen Sunday.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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