By Lauren Wanko
NJ Today

Downed trees block roadways. Streetlights are hanging by a thread. All remnants of Sandy’s fury.

The sand accumulated 1 to 5 feet overnight here in Cape May as evidenced by a street sign here on Beach Avenue. Workers are doing everything they can to move the sand back to where it belongs.

Garr Kerr is a lifeguard here during the summer. “It looks completely different,” he said. “I mean, right now, we’re on Beach Avenue but right now we’re on the beach!”

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Despite the amount of sand that blew over the seawall, Cape May Mayor Ed Mahaney says he’s relieved there are no fatalities or injuries to report. City officials began accessing the damage at 4 am this morning.

“What we found was we are now at the point where we only have flood waters on the beach front on Beach Avenue in the last eastern block at Wilmington Avenue,” said Mahaney. “It’s about 6 inches in height and we are pumping it down so it’s not an immediate danger.”

The curfew is still in effect and police are monitoring the entrances into the city. People can leave but they’re not permitted to enter the seaside community. The mayor says over 90 percent of Cape May has electricity.

“This could have been devastating to Cape May,” he said. “We did everything possible in planning but we are still at the mercy of mother nature. We can clean it up, but we can’t stop it.”

Bryan Harron is an equipment operator for the city. He expects to work on the beach, pushing the sand off the street for at least 3 days.

“It’s just long hours, you get worn out. Want to go home, see your family, get a hot meal,” said Harron.

West Cape May resident Lisa Bernstein chose not to evacuate with her family. She said “I think the town as a whole was fortunate, my heart goes, out to the people in Atlantic City and New York City that took a hit.”

Mayor Mahaney says he doesn’t expect anyone will be permitted back into the city until Wednesday afternoon.