OC Today-Dispatch AUGUST 22, 2025
STUBBORNLY LOCAL, EQUALLY INDEPENDENT
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PRICELESS
ERIN GO BLAH
Yesterday’s planned beach crawl during OC Jeep Fest was scratched due to beach flooding and tidal surge, but participants were able to try out the beach obstacle course instead. See page 30 for Jeep event details and page 3 for more on Hurricane Erin preparations in Ocean City. BRIAN SHANE/OC TODAY-DISPATCH
Scooter crackdown Water taxi flotilla on police to-do list forms for events Mayor makes it clear, he doesn’t like them and wants their operators held accountable if they fail to obey state and local traffic laws.— PAGE 13
Barred from public ramps, boat operator enlists others to help with big concert crowds— PAGE 18
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OC Today-Dispatch
AUGUST 22, 2025
AUGUST 22, 2025
OC Today-Dispatch
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BRIAN SHANE/OC TODAY-DISPATCH
Downtown Ocean City is pictured Thursday morning an hour after high tide, as the resort started felt the impact of Hurricane Erin, which was expected to remain far off the coast.
OC, Assateague announce closures ahead of Erin pass By Bethany Hooper Associate Editor (Aug. 22, 2025) While Hurricane Erin was forecast to remain far offshore, its effects were felt along the Delmarva coastline this week, with several beach and ocean closures announced in the days leading up to the storm’s arrival. On Tuesday, the Town of Ocean City announced it would be closing public access to the water as Hurricane Erin inched closer to the mid-Atlantic region. While the storm stayed offshore, Worcester County remained under a Tropical Storm Warning for much of the week, with high winds, dangerous surf conditions, minor beach erosion and strong rip currents expected along the coast. "Due to strong waves and dangerous rip currents, we are prohibiting swimming and surfing in the ocean," Ocean City Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald said in a statement Tuesday. "This proactive step was taken to protect the safety of residents, visitors, and first responders; however, the beach itself remains open, and the Town of Ocean City remains open for business." A High Surf Advisory was also issued through 7 a.m. Friday, with meteorologists projecting peak wave heights of 10 to 15 feet on Thursday and potential storm surge along the coastline. During Monday’s Ocean City Council meeting, City Manager Terry
McGean urged beachgoers to take caution and to follow the instruction of lifeguards as the storm nears. “If we close the beach to swimming, we are very serious about it,” he said. “Do not swim. Do not think you can outswim the rip currents.” Another concern this week, McGean said, was the 30% reduction in Ocean City Beach Patrol staff, as college students who served as lifeguards during the summer returned to classes. However, he said remaining lifeguards would stay in their stands, so long as it was safe to do so. “We are now down to about 60 to 65 stands this week,” he said. Just south of Ocean City, Assateague State Park announced it would close ocean access to swimming, surfing and wading, while Assateague Island National Seashore announced it would close over-sand vehicle areas and all oceanside beaches. “This is a fluid situation, and it is impossible to predict when things will reopen,” Assateague Island National Seashore said in a news release Tuesday. “There is also the possibility of more closures in the next few days, as wind speeds and tidal surge caused by the passage of Erin are difficult to predict and coincide with a very high tide cycle.” Closures also extended north into Delaware beaches, where municipal officials from Fenwick Island to Rehoboth Beach warned residents and visitors of dangerous surf conditions.
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