Winter storm leaves Delaware with power outages and flooding

The late winter storm may have blanketed parts of the country with snowfall, but Delaware and most of the mid-Atlantic avoided the whiteout.

 

Instead, the state experienced heavy rain and high winds which caused patches of coastal flooding and power outages throughout the state.

Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDot) crews began closing roads Wednesday afternoon due to flooding while Delmarva Power had crews out restoring service.

According to Jim Westoff, DelDot community relations officer, the hardest hit area was Route 1 between Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach near the Indian River Inlet Bridge.

“We have 30 people and more than ten pieces of equipment pushing sand,” said Westoff. “It’s not nearly as much sand as Hurricane Sandy but it’s still significant.”

Westoff added that they plan to have both lanes open by the end of the day.

What made the storm so powerful was the strong winds from the east which created a storm surge.

“It was essentially blowing the water toward us so when we had high tide, it was extremely high tide and the wind was blowing all of this water inland,” explained Westoff.

While the worst of the weather is past us, DelDot crews will continue to barricade several flooded roads until the water recedes and they can assess the damage properly.

“What we’re seeing is mostly tidal flooding,” said Westoff. “Right now, the tides are starting to come in so most of those roads are still closed. 

Those closures include Prime Hook Road and Broadkill Beach Road.

The high winds are also to blame for some power outage patches throughout the state. According to Delmarva’s outage map, a few dozen residents including a handful in New Castle County are still without electricity.

Anyone with downed wires should report them immediately to Delmarva by contacting their New Castle County hotline at 1-800-898-8042 or the Kent and Sussex counties hotline at 1-800-898-8045.