DELMARVA-- This week marked the 60th anniversary of the 'Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962'-- the single most destructive storm that Delaware has seen to date, according to experts.
From New Jersey to Ocean City, Md., six decades ago, the Northeast experienced a period of five high tides. As a result, the Nor'easter claimed seven lives in Delaware and a total of 40 lives along the East coast.
"The boardwalk was completely destroyed at that time," said coastal expert and co-author of 'Delaware's 1962 Northeaster' book Tony Pratt,. "Now, you go back to 1962 and there was no dune in front of the boardwalk, the boardwalk came out and there was just sand beyond that, so there was no dune to protect that and the beach was probably not as wide as it is today even."
Pratt explained that the waves crashed along the properties and "completely washed under the boardwalk and when it hit, it created a, a cliff and it would hit at the base of the cliff and the sand would fall in."
Pratt said this caused entire sections of the boardwalk to lift up, creating what seemed like giant rafts of pieces of boards damaging anything and everything in its path.
The 'Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962' lasted days and it led to the 'Delaware Coastal Zone Act in 1971,' meant to protect Delaware’s coast from the destructive impacts of heavy industrialization and commercial development. Essentially, construction would no longer be allowed to take place in middle of the beach, the way the popular Atlantic Sands Hotel was originally built.
"It was about let's say 10 to 12 feet lower than the boardwalk, that's how deep the erosion was...that erosion translated into the foundation, and the foundation collapsed and the whole front of the southeasterly wing of this building just collapsed right into the sea as the storm progressed in," Pratt said.
The iconic Dolle's Candyland store that opened back in 1927, was completely destroyed. Owner Tom Ibach said he was a little kid when it happened but heard stories of his grandparents who owned the shop back then.
"My grandparents had left with nothing, they took nothing with them because they had been through so many storms, they figured 'ah this is just another one, you know, nothing is going to happen' but somebody came in and got them to leave when the boardwalk started to break up," said Ibach
The damage along Delaware’s Atlantic and Bay coasts cost an estimate of what would be around $465 million today.
"By the end of May the boardwalk was back, the hotels were back in business, the shops were open back up, it was a herculean effort to restore this," said Pratt.
And in time for summer, which is their prime time to make the most money. Pratt said with every storm, a lesson is learned.
"The fight never stops. You work every day until the next storm, when that storm occurs, you start picking up the pieces and you go on to the next storm," he said.