WEEKEND #5, 2006

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

 

PINE VALLEY MOBILE HOME PARK FLOODS

West Sussex County appears to have suffered the worst damage from Sunday's torrential downpour with flooding that washed away parts of roadways stranding vehicles and caused the evacuation of mobile home parks, a nursing home, and breach of fuel tanks.

By afternoon, firefighters from all over Sussex County responded to assist their colleagues in the Seaford-Laurel area. Chuck Snyder, Rehoboth Beach VFC safety officer, was among those who was there. Also, Rehoboth Beach resident Stan Mills deployed with the Red Cross.

The coastal areas of Sussex County still suffered similar problems in some areas. Downtown Rehoboth Beach appeared to survive fine. But Wagamon's Pond in Milton, Midway Estates near Lewes, and Pine Valley outside Rehoboth Beach suffered significant flooding.

Some residents of the Pine Valley Mobile Home Park were forced from their homes Sunday morning when flood waters from Old Landing Road inundated the park. The park is off Old Landing Road near the Rehoboth Mall. Rehoboth Beach fire-police closed Old Landing Road and remained there from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. when water finally subsided.

 

Rain water appeared to flow across Old Landing Road (below) from the Rehoboth Mall, then down the slope into the Pine Valley Mobile Home Park. Note the storm drain along the center island.

Frank and Carol Manion, who live in the park, said the street through the park (below) was a river earlier Sunday morning. Around 8 a.m., Rehoboth Beach firefighters went door to door, checking on the park's occupants. Many were removed to higher ground. Firefighters, who requested life vests to the scene, waded through knee and even waist-deep water trying to turn off propane tanks before they toppled over.

DNREC emergency response was summoned to investigate environmental hazards. The crew below said that they would have to wait for the water to subside before they could determine the extent of the environmental impact. The power lines in the park are underground, and the power company had already cut off the power to the park.

Runoff rain water collected at the park's lowest area, below, flooding trailers and causing a still undermined amount of damage.

 

The bulk of the rain in Sussex County concentrated in the western part of the county. Below, left, is an intellicast.com RADAR image showing the rainfall around 9 a.m. Sunday.

As of 10 p.m., WeatherBug reported more than six inches of rainfall at the Georgetown-Sussex County Airport on Sunday. The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel in Rehoboth Beach had a Sunday rainfall total of little more than an inch, while the Wicomico Emergency Management offices in Salisbury reported just a twelfth of an inch of rain on Sunday.

But on Friday, Salisbury did experience violent thunderstorms around 2 p.m. (below right), while Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City were almost untouched (although the beach was closed for a couple hours because of lightning).

On Friday The Wicomico Emergency Management office reported 1.44 of an inch while the Salisbury-Wicomico County Regional Airport received 2.78 of an inch. WeatherBug sites in Ocean City and Rehoboth Beach received less than a half-inch from Friday's rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


SOKOLOVE CALLS POLICE TO COMMISSIONER-CANDIDATE'S RESIDENCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Sokolove, who with his wife owns the 59 Lake Restaurant, demonstrates his sound meter using the police car's engine noise while in front of commissioner candidate Pat Coluzzi’s house on Sussex Street around 11 p.m. Sunday. He was trying to document that he's not breaking the city's sound ordinance. These stills come from digital8 video.


RUSSIAN STUDENT STRUCK, FLOWN TO BEEBE, CHARGED WITH ACCIDENT

A Russian exchange student bicycling south along the sidewalk of northbound Route 1 collided with a Lexus exiting the Beach Club parking lot around 10 a.m. Friday. A witness described the woman as conscious but stunned. Her bicycle was wedged under the front of the 2000 Lexus RX3, just south of Carolina Street.

Trooper 2, the state police helicopter, had been training with Dewey Beach lifeguards, diverted to the accident and landed on Route 1. Traffic on Route 1 was detoured in both directions for about 15 minutes. The 21-year-old bicyclist was flown to Beebe Hospital. The driver of the Lexus, an 18-year-old female from Newark, Delaware, was not injured.

A state police news release says the bicyclist was treated at Beebe Hospital for bruises to her left leg, scrapes and cuts and was charged with operating a bicycle on the wrong side of the roadway. The release says she had been wearing a helmet.

 

 

 

 

The 4th Annual "Use Your Head” Bike Safety Fair was sponsored last Monday by the Ocean Atlantic Agency (below) on Rehoboth Avenue where free helmets were distributed. Helmets will be available at the real-estate company's offices at 330 Rehoboth Avenue until they are gone.

 


WRECKS TIE UP BEACH TRAFFIC NEAR O.C.

Two pick-up trucks collided Friday afternoon on U.S. Route 50 as people were headed to the beach. The wreck happened around 2 p.m. in the westbound lanes at the intersection of Walston Switch Road west of Parsonsburg.

One pick-up truck spilled its payload contents onto the roadway. Two people were injured but not seriously in the crash which backed traffic up for miles.

Photo by Christopher Casale, Breaking News Network freelance photographer.

Thursday evening a motorcyclist was seriously injured in an accident with a Jeep Wrangler. The accident happened around 9 p.m. near Ocean Downs Raceway on Rt.589, where the road goes from dual to single lanes.

Although in Worcester County, the Delaware State Police helicopter flew the motorcyclist to Salisbury. He was in critical condition after being thrown an estimated 50 feet from his motorcycle.

Photo by Jessica Wagaman, Breaking News Network freelance photographer.


ONE WEEK TO BANDSTAND OPENING!

The Chesapeake Silver Cornet Brass Band is still scheduled to be the first performer at the new Rehoboth Beach bandstand. The event is planned for July 2 before the fireworks -- exactly one week from when this picture was taken Sunday evening.

For info: http://www.rehobothbeachbandstand.com/


NO CAMPAIGN SIGNS IMPOUNDED YET!

All three commissioner candidates have deployed campaign signs citywide during the past few weeks. But as of early Sunday evening, no political signs were in the Rehoboth Beach Building & Licensing office's collection behind the firehouse as were found last year.

 


REHOBOTH BEACH RECYCLE BINS FRIDAY EVENING

As of Friday evening, recycling efforts seemed quite successful -- exceeding the capacity of the Rehoboth Beach recycling containers.