Flooding In Annapolis Puts Spotlight On Forthcoming City Dock Park

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Over 4 feet of flooding swamped downtown Annapolis, temporarily closing businesses and roads on Thursday.

At 12:30 p.m., the Severn River had a storm surge of 4.27 feet above the average low tide, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

That would be tied for the city's 10th-worst flood, which came on March 8, 1962. In comparison, the January 2024 flood that shuttered businesses for weeks was the city's third-worst, bringing 5.1 feet of water.

Thursday's flood was considered moderate. The surge must reach 5 feet for it to be deemed major. It takes 2.6 feet to flood the recessed area around the Alex Haley statue and 3.5 feet to reach Dock Street businesses, NOAA said.

The flooding offered a timely reminder as construction begins on City Dock Park, the town's largest-ever infrastructure project. The project will replace most of the Dock Street parking lot with a raised green space intended to mitigate flooding.

The land will be elevated by 8 feet, acting as a sea wall and a sponge. Flood gates and pumps will also push water away.

The price tag is expected to exceed $70 million and take several years to complete.

For Dock Street businesses, the protection can't come soon enough.

At the peak of Thursday's flood, Storm Brothers Ice Cream Factory said there was about 16 inches of water after stepping off the curb in front of its store. The ice cream parlor installed a temporary door dam and pumped out the incoming floodwater, which nearly reached the back of the business.

"This is not the kind of 'waterfront property' you ever want to have," the shop said on Facebook. "This is not an issue of 'will [it] happen again' — it's when."

Two doors down, Dock Street Bar & Grill also closed temporarily due to flooding.

The bar reopened Friday, as did Storm Brothers.

"Support local businesses when and where you can," the city of Annapolis said on Facebook, sharing photos of the flooding. "This is especially hard on their livelihood."

The Annapolis Office of Emergency Management said the inundation temporarily closed:

• Dock Street.
• Compromise Street between Memorial Circle and St. Mary's Street.
• Inbound 6th Street to Compromise Street.
• Chester Avenue at Fourth Street.

Sedonna Brown told WBAL-TV she moved away from the area after losing her home to Hurricane Isabel in 2003, but she is back in Annapolis for business.

"You do worry how they survive and how long it's going to take for the water to recede to bring back business again," Brown told WBAL.

The Capital Gazette photographed Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley (D) kayaking through the floodwaters to survey the damage.

"Today, we were ready for this, but you can only do so much," Buckley told WJZ, adding that the city's existing sump pumps only work if there is less than 4 feet of flooding. "You have to let Mother Nature do what it does, then you have to mop up afterward."

Buckley thinks Tuesday's election will determine the fate of the City Dock Park project.

"When it comes to preserving the historic district and businesses, flooding protection is critical," the outgoing mayor wrote on Facebook. "There are two choices in this election- Jared Littmann [D] for Mayor and Harry Huntley [D] for Ward One who will complete the city dock project asap OR Bob O'Shea [R]/ Tom Kriek [Independent] who want to deny or delay the need to act. Bob O'Shea has maxed out his contributions from lawyer Ed Hartman who is suing the city to stop flood protection. The choice is simple."

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