Officials warn of Sandy-like conditions for winter storm

Strong winds combined with a beach environment may prove to be a nightmare for coastal Delaware. Officials say plan around the snow but be ready for plenty of flooding.

“We’re very concerned about some of our coastal areas,” said Joe Thomas, director of the Sussex County Emergency Operations, “We’re seeing some tide predictions that could get up to some levels where we could see some pretty significant coastal flooding,”

Thomas tells 47 ABC that our first winter storm of 2016 may be a big one. So big that it might compare to Super-storm Sandy in some respects.

“We were thinking that we’re going to see some tide values that could possibly exceed the levels in Sandy and the winds may end up either possibly exceeding or close to what we saw in Sandy.”

Thomas tells us that these conditions could impact Delaware beaches.

In a storm liked this, officials say strong winds and tides push the water towards the beach and that water will have no where to go. That could result in significant beach erosion and problems for shore towns like Rehoboth Beach.

Rehoboth Beach Commissioner Stan Mills tells 47 ABC that Nor’easters in the past have forced the removal of about half of the boardwalk.

Mills says that’s the city’s top concern heading into the storm among others.

“Another risk is heavy snowfall,” said Mills, “The biggest problem with snow is where do we put it when we push it out of the roads,”

Thomas says that if you have anything loose outside of your home secure it or place it inside. The storms strong winds could end up throwing across the street.