City cancels Christmas Parade, Miracle on Asbury Avenue, First Night and First Day

Mayor’s Update – Oct. 30, 2020

Dear Friends,

More than three inches of rain, an approaching full moon and strong onshore winds combined over the past two days to cause the highest water levels of the year in Ocean City. While there were pockets of moderate flooding throughout the city during this morning’s peak tide, I’m very pleased with the success of our pumping station projects. Just one of our 10 pumping stations, for instance, moved more than 1 million gallons of water off the streets in Merion Park in just six hours following high tide this morning. The neighborhoods where these stations have been installed would have experienced very different conditions without these mitigation measures.

We know the job is not yet complete. I want to invite everybody to a town hall meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Ocean City Tabernacle. We will lay out plans to address flooding issues across the entire island. I hope you will join us as we work together to improve the quality of life for everybody who deals with flooding concerns.

The city, the state and the nation continue to see an uptick in positive tests for COVID-19. The key is looking at the rate of hospitalizations, according to local hospital officials. At this point, Shore Medical Center remains well within its capacity to treat COVID patients. That is fortunate. But with the virus continuing to spread, it is just not responsible at this time to promote events where we cannot control dense crowds from gathering. We are announcing the cancellation of our Miracle on Asbury Avenue celebration on Black Friday, our Christmas Parade and our First Night and First Day celebrations. I understand this is a disappointment, but the health and safety of our residents and guests will always be the top priority.

We will continue with events where capacity can be controlled and social distancing maintained.

I want to wish everybody a safe and happy Halloween. Results of our Halloween House Decorating Contest and guidelines for trick-or-treating are posted at www.ocnj.us/halloween.