OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
OCTOBER 7, 2022
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
CLASSICS
FALL CRUISIN’
Annual show and parade featuring an array of hot rods set this weekend in Ocean City – Page 25
FREE
OC’s car rally protocol gains fans in state As bad behavior increases in some motoring circles, other localities see solution
GREG WEHNER/OCEAN CITY TODAY
Flood waters cover St. Louis Avenue just north of the Route 50 bridge during high tide Tuesday. Ocean City Council members voted to publish the latest progress report from the resort’s hazard mitigation plan, which addresses issues like this flooding that occured several days this week.
By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Oct. 7, 2022) Ocean City’s successful efforts to deter the droves of tuner car enthusiasts who once wreaked havoc in the resort have caught the attention of state and regional officials. Mayor Rick Meehan said during a City Council meeting Monday that the city’s implementation of a Special Event Zone and accompanying strict enforcement of regulations associated with policing the destructive pop-up event over the past few years worked in pretty much keeping the souped-up car enthusiasts away from Ocean City this September. According to social media posts, the event instead moved to WildSee RESORT Page 6
blowout Flood plan talks well-timed Festival delivers huge hit Hazard mitigation report timing coincidental, but content has strong point
By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Oct. 7, 2022) As flood waters sloshed across downtown roads on the bayside of City Hall Monday night, resort council members were inside fittingly voting to publish the latest progress report on implementation of items in the resort’s hazard mitigation plan. Updated every five years, the comprehensive document provides the foundation for Ocean City’s long-
term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break damage cycles. The latest plan was developed in 2017 and slated for a full update this year. On Monday, Planning and Development Director Bill Neville presented a progress report on items in the plan that have been implemented and completed. He explained that the report is an arm of the full 2022 hazard mitigation plan, which staff will dive into within the next 30 days. “The reason we’re doing this annual report within this timeframe is that it’s part of our participation in the community rating system,” Neville said of the progress report. “It’s one of those things that we get
points for that ultimately leads to the 20 percent discount on flood insurance for everyone in the community.” Participation in the community rating system in 2021 named Ocean City a Class 6, which resulted in the 20 percent discount. The rating system runs from 10 to one, with 10 reflecting no participation in the risk-reduction program. According to Neville’s calculations, Ocean City residents with flood insurance policies renewed under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Risk Rating 2.0 plan now stand to see an average 50 percent reduction on their premiums. See FEMA Page 6
to hotel industry Event promoters bound to try again early next fall By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Oct. 7, 2022) As heavy winds blew a piece of the would-be Oceans Calling Festival setup into Hurricane Iangenerated waves last weekend, it became clear that resort officials made the right decision when they canceled the heavily anticipated three-day music event beause of a bad weather forecast. See SOME Page 4