April 18, 2007
Not over yet
By DOUG FRASER
and PATRICK CASSIDY
STAFF WRITERS
A storm that caused substantial flooding and erosion across Cape Cod and the Islands in the past few days may inflict still more damage before it gradually fades away by the end of the week.
The powerful surf hits the sea wall amd threatens houses near Chatham Light Beach during high tide yesterday, the third day of pummeling by a spring northeaster that slowly moves out to sea.
The northeaster, which stalled east of the Cape Monday, has already helped carve out a channel through North Beach between the Atlantic Ocean and Pleasant Bay. Chatham police and the town of Orleans closed the ocean-side beach yesterday to off-road vehicles because of the break and because the storm had washed away most of the Atlantic side of the trail.
''There is no drivable front beach for the entire Orleans/Chatham length,” Chatham police Lt. John Cauble said yesterday.
Even the middle road nestled in dunes between the two water bodies has standing puddles that are impassable, Cauble said.
But the big concern is a channel that Cauble said shows signs of establishing itself permanently.
''It will be washing over for several days with every high tide moving more sand out,” Cauble said. The channel is currently only filling with water at high tide.
The break occurred at what is known as Exit 8, a road that connects two of the ''villages” of small privately owned cabins and camps.
For now, camp owners cannot get out to check on their property, although Cauble said there was no indication that any of them were in jeopardy.
Erosion was evident in other areas of the Outer Beach as well. The roaring waves from Orleans up into Wellfleet were streaked with brown sand. At Nauset Light, the area around the stairway appeared to have nearly 10 feet of sand removed between Monday and yesterday.
While the center of the storm has moved out to sea, it continues to fuel a powerful storm surge along the coast expected to have its greatest impact during high tide early this afternoon. Today's tides will be the most extreme of the month.
Low-lying roads across the Cape were littered with sand and debris yesterday as public works crews struggled to stem the flow of water from a surge of 1 to 2 feet.
With the exception of scattered outages that appear to be wind related, power to most NStar customers on the Cape and Martha's Vineyard had been restored last night, company spokesman Michael Durand said.
Repair crews will be kept on duty in Plymouth and on the Cape in case of new outages, Durand said.
On Nantucket a home at 25 Sheep Pond Road assessed at $555,000 fell into the ocean after its foundation was undermined by erosion, Nantucket police said.
In Woods Hole, where residents have battled the town to repair a collapsed sea wall, at least seven properties were flooded. Several cottages that typically abut Mill Pond were swimming in it as seawater flooded the area.
And, Fanizzi's Restaurant by the Sea on Commercial Street in Provincetown sustained $30,000 to $35,000 in damage from flooding on Monday, owner Paul Fanizzi said. Fanizzi expects to be open again by tomorrow.
Staff writers Mary Ann Bragg and Amanda Lehmert contributed to this report. Doug Fraser can be reached at
dfraser@capecodonline.com. Patrick Cassidy can be reached at
pcassidy@capecodonline.com.
(Published: April 18, 2007)
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