Hundreds without power after nor’easter

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The Cullen Bridge over Indian River Inlet is shown at 8 a.m. (Photo: DelDOT traffic cam)
The Cullen Bridge over Indian River Inlet is shown at 8 a.m. (Photo: DelDOT traffic cam)

DELAWARE (10/3/2015) Hundreds of electric customers remained without power this morning in the wake of a nor’easter that battered the state with winds gusting near 60 mph, left more than 4 inches of rain and caused flooding that closed numerous coastal roads.

More than 10,000 electric customers were without service at times overnight.

At 8 a.m. today, Delmarva Power reported on its website that 370 customers were still out, with about 240 in Sussex County and 120 in New Castle County.

The Delaware Electric Cooperative had reported hundreds of outages earlier this morning but by 8 a.m. only one customer remained out.

The National Weather Service says rain will continue today along with gusty winds that may hit 50 mph in coastal Sussex County.

A coastal flood warning remains in effect until Sunday night, and DelDOT reports numerous roads remain closed by flooding at high tides. Route 1 was closed between Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach, including the Cullen Bridge over Indian River Inlet, after water from the Indian River and Rehoboth bays flooded the highway.

Emergency crews responded to numerous vehicles stranded in high water.

The Indian River Volunteer Fire Company responded to one of these on Bayshore Lane in the Rehoboth Shores community.

The fire company gave this description:

“It appears that a nearby resident was attempting to navigate the flood-hidden roadway in a Toyota 4-Runner SUV and did not realize he was traversing on grass and sand as opposed to the roadway surfaces. Unfortunately, it appears that he ran over the side of a boat ramp allowing his vehicle to hinge on the side of the boat ramp bulkhead.”

No injuries were reported.

SUV went into high water on Bayshore Lane in Rehoboth Shores. (Photo: Indian River Volunteer Fire Company)
SUV went into high water on Bayshore Lane in Rehoboth Shores. (Photo: Indian River Volunteer Fire Company)

Route 1 at beach among roads closed

Markell declares limited state of emergency for Sussex

Text of Gov. Markell’s emergency declaration