The Village of Asharoken issued a state of emergency on Sunday in anticipation of forecasted historic storm surge levels from Hurricane Sandy.
Water levels are expected to rise 2 to 3 feet above astronomical tides Sunday night during high tide, 3 to 4.5 feet above astronomical tides Monday morning, and potentially 6 to 11 feet above Monday night into Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Mayor Greg Letica is urging residents in low lying areas to evacuate and warned that road closures may last for considerable periods of time. During Hurricane Irene last year, Asharoken Avenue was closed for over 24 hours after crashing waves flooded the road. See dramatic pictures of huge waves smashing against the side of the sea wall here.
According to a notice posted on the village website, a state of emergency means that the Asharoken Police can close and road in the village and that "village officers, officials, and employees are further authorized to take any other lawful actions in order to protect life and property and mitigate this public emergency."
The state of emergency is effective until Friday at noon unless ended or extended by the Mayor.
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