History in the Making: 'Now They'll Talk About Sandy'

Ocean City Historical Museum President Ken Cooper set the stage: " '62 was always the benchmark for storms in Ocean City," he said. "But now they'll talk about Sandy.

Cooper introduced a public presentation and forum on Thursday night at the Ocean City Free Public Library that initiated an effort by the museum to collect stories, images and artifacts from the Oct. 29 superstorm that left record flooding in Ocean City.

"You haven't lived until you've seen your home being put into two large dumpsters behind your home," museum board member Paul Anselm, 82, said in starting a tale of personal devastation in the aftermath of the storm.

Two feet of water flooded his single-story home and displaced him and his wife.

"There is no plan that would have prepared you for Hurricane Sandy," Anselm said.

But after completing his sad and sometimes-humorous tale of displacement, Anselm urged all atttendees to "make yourself have a plan of some nature."

"For reasons I'm not going to explain, I stayed," Park Place resident John Walton said. 

Walton said he was told by his friend and neighbor Ken Cooper that the street wouldn't flood — "It's Park Place."

But after spinning a self-deprecating yarn about his fears and misadventures during a storm that flooded his first floor, Walton implored everybody to heed future evacuation orders: "I will beat every single one of you off this island."

Ocean City Tabernacle President Richard Stanislaw spoke of the recovery effort.

"I'm amazed at the way the city came together and helped," Stanislaw said. "The remarkable thing to me was how quickly people came to our aid."

Stanislaw related a story of how a charitable group from Warsaw, Ind., had a truck packed with 35,000 pounds of food delivered to the Tabernacle just a few days after the storm left Ocean City. The delivery was just the start of a massive volunteer effort to help in Ocean City's recovery.

"I'm glad to live here," he said to nods of agreement in the audience.

Merion Park resident Marty Mozzo and Gardens Plaza resident Tracie Plachter shared their own stories from the storm. (Ocean City Patch Editor Doug Bergen presented a slide show of images from the storm.)

Thursday's event was just the start of an effort by the museum to start gathering the history of Sandy in 2012 — the new benchmark for storms in Ocean City.

“We need to turn to the public to gather the artifacts that will tell the story of Sandy to future generations,” Museum Director Jeff McGranahan said.

The museum is looking for donations of photographs (printed or digital), video, and other items that relate to the storm. The museum is also looking to conduct interviews with people so that they will have an opportunity to speak in their own words about their personal experiences. The interviews will be recorded and kept in the museum.

“Fifty years from now, we will have these interviews for people to learn about Hurricane Sandy through the individuals who lived through it,” McGranahan said.

The Museum is open 10 a.m to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m to 7 p.m. Thursday; and 11 a.m to 2 p.m. Saturday. Located in the Ocean City Community Center, the museum exhibits images and artifacts that tell the stories of Ocean City’s founding and evolution. Anybody interested in sharing information about the storm can call the museum at 609-399-1801 or email McGranahan at jeffmcgranahan@ocnjmuseum.org.