By Tammy Rickman

Each sunny summer day approximately 1,000 vehicles are parked in the lots of the Assateague Island beach. Visitors, both local and from across the nation, drag drink coolers, umbrellas, blankets, surfboards and children onto the nearby sand for a day of fun and sun.

But anyone who goes to the beach now will be in for a shock. The November nor’easter, that howled and roared its way across the eastern seaboard for three days, has left the parking lot buried under three feet of sand.                                                                                              

Bike racks have virtually vanished, and only the top six inches of parking lot fence remain visible. Perhaps the most striking sight is the vast flatness of the beach, now covered with old tires, shells and other debris that the Atlantic Ocean coughed up and washed ashore.

The dunes that once curved through the landscape, photographed from every angle, have been dissolved for miles by the hand of Mother Nature. For days after the storm, high tide waves washed over the windblown sand, continuing to flood the adjoining marshes and pools.

Lou Hinds, manager of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, said the northern end parking lot, for about 100 cars, will be restored for year-round use. Whether the much larger southern parking lots will be made usable again quickly will be the subject of upcoming meetings with  Hinds,  Chincoteague town officials, members of the business community and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Hinds said the cost of restoring the beach would be between $500,000 and $900,000 and he isn’t sure it would be sound economic judgment to spend this amount when another storm could come along at any-time and wash that work away.

The Refuge is located on Assateague Island, a barrier island off the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Unlike the beaches, the wildlife of the island has weathered the storm and proved resilient, although the plant food supply for migrant birds has been severely impacted. Mending fences and rounding up ponies seems almost insignificant against the estimate that has been given to restore beaches, parking, and facilities to full operational pre-storm conditions. Last week as Hinds was working on a damage report, volunteers were being mobilized to assist his staff with a list of clean-up tasks.

The unrelenting storm began its rage on a day when refuge staff had off, Veteran’s Day, November 18.

 On Tuesday, the day before, Hinds said he was listening to weather reports on the Weather Channel when he heard – “…this will be a storm of historical significance.” With his normal good humor Hinds held his hands on either side of his head, cocked his head slightly to the side, and with a light laugh said, “ that when those words went in his ears and they bounced around in his head a long time.”

When Hinds got into work Tuesday he put a call in to the National Park Service (NPS) and asked if they were going to pull together an Incident Command Team for the storm event. They responded with, “What storm event?” Nor’easters can often become more or less than predicted. Storm reports at that point on Tuesday had been mixed and nothing had sprouted red flags for the NPS.

On Wednesday the storm grew in intensity and so did the weather forecasts. Hinds said that had the storm increased to the point that it became a named storm, hurricane, or other significant weather event, he would have called staff in to begin securing things. However, even as predications grew more serious forecasters remained reserved in an effort not to over predict the storm.

On Thursday morning, Nov. 19, Hinds and Kim Halpin, deputy refuge manager, had a meeting scheduled with some people out of Washington, D.C. By Wednesday afternoon there was already talk of rising tides closing the causeway between Chincoteague and the mainland. With Government Offices closed on Wednesday, Veterans Day, there was no way to contact them and cancel.

As the storm picked up power through Wednesday and talk of possibly closing the causeway increased, Hinds said they called staff members and told them to stay home Thursday in an effort to avoid them getting stuck on Chincoteague should the causeway close. Hinds and Halpin came in on Thursday morning along with a few others involved in the meeting. They finished out their day and decided not to open the Refuge on Friday.

On Thursday, as predicted, the highway department decided to close the causeway at 3:30 pm. After listening to the wind howl all night, Hinds, who lives on the mainland, said he tried to return to Assateague early Friday morning but was only able to make it as far as the light at Royal Farms. The causeway had remained closed through the night and into the next morning.

The causeway would finally reopen around 10 a.m. after storm debris was plowed from the road, dangling power lines were secured, flooding had gone down and the road checked for damage.

While waiting for access to the islands to assess the damage, Hinds was on the phone with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Storm Prediction Center to see how much longer the storm would continue. He was told that reports indicated the storm would continue into Saturday.

Hinds finally made it onto Chincoteague and navigated the flooded streets as he made his way over to Assateague Island. When he reached the refuge he immediately began the storm damage assessment. In a solemn voice Hinds said, “I’ll be honest with you; at that time I was very, very, very concerned because no matter where I drove out this way everything was under water.”

He was referring to the area on the northern side of the road which includes the Wildlife Loop, Marsh Trail, Swans Cove Pool, Snow Geese Pool, Black Duck Pool and trail, the service road and areas beyond, all popular locations for thousands of visitors.

His concern was well placed. The flooding was a combination of storm surge and rolling surf. The graceful, fragile dunes which curved down the beach protecting the land lying behind them had vanished, victims of the storm surge, pounding surf, and howling winds.

In his office Friday, Nov. 20, Hinds described his first view of the beach as, “A sight to behold.” He said when he stepped out of the vehicle the beaches were as flat as the table top, where he was sitting with reporters.  He watched the surf roll in and keep going. The waves came in one after another, rippling their way over the flat surface of the beaches, across what used to be parking lots, pouring into the impoundments or out into the marshes.  

Impoundments are man-made pools and drainage systems that the Refuge uses to grow and manage wetland vegetation. This is done through a series of gates that control the water levels and promote the growth of moist soil plants to support the water-fowl and other wild inhabitants of the island.

No matter where he drove there was flooding and debris. The debris came not only from nature but also from manmade structures and substances. Many of the Romtek toilets and trash collection units were out in the marsh either floating or sunk along with many storage sheds.

 Hinds indicated that their biggest concern became Beach Road. On a map he pointed to a large section of the northern beach where the waves rolling over into the impoundments and marshes was unstoppable. The continued flow of water compounded an already waterlogged situation.

Along Beach Road there is a single drainage pipe underneath the road on the curve just before you reach the corral area. The 36 inch pipe can maintain a considerable amount of water flow. The pipe drains Swans Cove Pool in the event it fills too high and maintains the water levels to the desired height.

The pipe was filled with rushing water that gushed through and out into the marshes along the southern side of the road. As waves continued to roll across the beaches and into the already saturated pools, the water had nowhere to go but to flow over the road and out into the marsh.

The water in Tom’s Cove and the marshes behind Tom’s Cove Visitors Center was not as high as the water in the pools that make up the impoundment systems. This created a hazardous situation for the road. There was around six feet of water in Swan’s Cove Pool and at low tide there was none near the road on the other side. As the water flowed across the road it sped up because of the lower water levels on that side of the road. The speed increase caused eddies which began to eat at the edges of the road underneath the pavement.

Eddies are like small whirlpools. The water swirls and swirls in increasing speeds. As the water churns and swirls it eats the dirt out from beneath the pavement and eventually the pavement collapses causing the road to give way and washout under the pressure of the water flow. Fortunately that only occurred in one small place along Beach Road.

However, the concern was that the tremendous amount of water pressure pushing against the road as the water tried to escape into Tom’s Cove would blow out the road. Maintenance crews were dispatched and they did find several leaks along the road as they began inspections. Thankfully the road held and after water levels fell the areas were repaired.

“At that point we began to look at the problems from a long term point of view,” Hinds said. With no dunes or elevated terrain to protect the marshes and pools, the road remained in jeopardy. At high tide the waves continued to roll across the beaches and into the pools and marshes. Hinds’ concern was that the next storm will again fill Swan Cove Pool and once again the only outlet for the water will remain that one 36 inch pipe.

He said in his opinion the pool should be abandoned as a managed impoundment. This would allow them to place several drain pipes beneath Beach Road creating a tidal pool that allows water to rise and fall with the tides. “This would alleviate pressure against the road that will ultimately come with the next storm surge,” said Hinds.

The installation of the pipes will save the other pools in the impoundment. Snow Goose Pool, Mallard Pool and Shovler Pool would avoid the contamination of too much salt water. An abundance of the salt water inhibits plant growth which in turn impacts animal life.

There is no way to prevent salt water from reaching the other impoundments but the pipes would allow Swan’s Cove Pool to act as a filter. The flooding was so substantial at the peak of the storm on Friday that somewhere between 75 and 95 percent of the Wildlife Loop was submerged to considerable depths. Water would be able to flow through more freely and at a greater rate. This would prevent water from backing up into the other pools because it can’t drain fast enough.

The beach reopened to the public Saturday, Nov. 21 with limited access.  Hours of operation are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. This is normal winter hours of operation. The Bateman Center and Tom’s Cove Visitors Center will also remain open on their individual winter hours of operation.

Trails are now open.

Parking is limited to the area around Tom’s Cove Visitors Center and alongside Beach Road before the visitor’s center. Beyond that the sand has encroached all the way up to the tire pumping station which inhibits additional parking.

Night fishing is also cancelled for now as the debris on the beach, which continues to wash in from the ocean, presents too many hazards once night falls. Fishing is permitted during operational hours but all visitors must exit the Refuge by 6 p.m.

The OSV has reopened with limited access. This is because a considerable area beyond that all the way down to where the Hook starts goes under water at high tide. Hinds said reopening the Hook is dependent on Mother Nature and whether the new inlet fills in or continues to wash out at high tide.

The beach parking presents another issue for the National Park Service to overcome. Currently there are several feet of sand covering the parking lots. The short term plans are to uncover the left parking lot, parking lot 1, and restore it to its original use. This will provide about a hundred spaces.

The goal is to give access back to the year round visitors. Hinds said, “Our goal is to get it so people can get out there and see the beautiful force of Mother Nature, it is something to behold and people want to see it.”

He said they will always want to provide beach parking for the year round users. Looking forward into the tourist season of late May, June, July, and August, which will necessitate approximately 1,000 parking spaces, brings about a new direction of conversation.

“The current estimate for returning all facilities to pre-storm use is somewhere between $500,000 and $900,000,” Hinds said. The question then becomes, whether that is the most effective route on which to embark. With no dunes to offer protection against the encroaching surf, what happens next time and the next time.”

It is inevitable that it will happen again. Indeed, worse storms have happened. Long time residents well remember the Ash Wednesday Storm of ‘62 and Hurricane Isabel in 2003. “As residents of the barriers islands and Eastern Shore, we accept that this is not a onetime event. It is not a question of if, but when, will equally if not more devastating, storms occur,” said Hinds.

The “when factor” creates the question of whether restoration of pre-storm parking is cost effective long term. Hinds says in his personal opinion parking does not have to be where it was before but possibly at a remote location where people would be transported from their vehicles to the beach and back again to their cars.

He doesn’t know now where that remote location would be. He also realizes it would have to be implemented in such a way that people don’t feel inconvenienced. The answers aren’t obvious or easy. Hinds did indicate that the park service would move ahead in securing emergency funding for restoration of parking.

The question becomes is it effective to have approximately 1,000 parking spaces sit there virtually unused to be demolished and rebuilt time and again? Hinds said,” We have a responsibility to the whole American public not to waste tax payer dollars.”

 The decision will need to be made by late March in order to regain full access by May no matter the direction parking takes.

The human factor is only one part of the equation. Part of what draws visitors and locals to the island is the “critters” as Hinds calls them. He indicated that the storm had torn all of the vegetation or food out of the lower pools near beach road. That said, the snow geese have arrived but are further north on the wash flats where the flooding was less severe. He said there are currently some 20,000 snow geese making their homes on the refuge.

The concern is that the overabundance of salt water that continues to wash into the pools will impede growth for the next season. They are currently exploring ways to flush some of the salt water out, but that will first require good old-fashioned rain that doesn’t come in with a storm pushing in more salt water. If they can gather enough fresh rain water in the pools that are used as impoundments, they can save it up and open the gates, flushing the area and hopefully some of the collected salt away.

Hinds also said that upon first gaining access to the island it was unbelievable to watch the amphibians and reptiles trying to navigate away from the salt water that had invaded. Bullfrogs and snapping turtles that should have been napping lined the high roads trying to get their bearings on what was occurring. Hinds said, “You wanted to help them but had no idea how.” The Delmarva Fox Squirrel fared well as did most other animals and no significant deaths were found or reported.

Hinds said he was in touch with the Chincoteague Fire Company, which owns the ponies. They discussed whether to open the gates that would allow the southern herds access to Beach Road and other higher ground in the Refuge. The determination was made that the ponies had access to some of the highest ground and could navigate to safety.

Harry Thornton, chairman of the Pony Committee, was out the day after the storm checking on the ponies and assessing what needed to be done, Hinds said. No ponies were lost in the storm and the ponies roamed freely over the island due to downed fences. They are safe but the cowboys and volunteers have a big job ahead, repairing fences and rounding up the ponies.

 Hinds said they didn’t really begin efforts to clean up until Saturday. On Friday he had Facility Manager Larry Beasley join him in doing a building assessment. In order to begin cleanup and damage assessment they had to have access to the facilities and determine the safety of those facilities.

On Saturday morning they mobilized volunteers and staff members came into work.

They began by clearing a large tree off the Bateman Center walkway which blocked door access. Next came road and some trail clean up on Woodland Trail. Volunteers over the weekend, with staff members, cleared the trail that runs through the original Assateague Settlement and continued to remove tires from the beach.

The artificial reef off the coast of Ocean City broke loose and distributed massive amounts of tires along beaches. Hinds reported that the park service on the northern end of the island had cleared out some 1,400 tires to date and they had picked up some 600 in two days of cleanup making a grand total of around 2,000 tires to date between the two agencies. They estimate they had another 400 as of Sunday.

All staff has been mobilized and along with NPS Maintenance Supervisor Ish Ennis are hard at work organizing and implementing restoration. Right after the storm,  National Park Service employee Gretchen Knapp and National Seashore Supervisor Trish Kicklighter, as well as other Tom’s Cove Visitors Center staff, worked together to staff the Bateman Center. The visitor service staff has created a DVD of pictures that run continuously in the center theater so visitors can see storm damage photos.

Anyone interested in volunteering should email Deputy Refuge Manager Kim Halpin who is doubling as volunteer coordinator at Kim_Halpin@FWS.gov.

Questions can be directed to the visitor’s center through email at FW5RW_CNWR@fws.gov and by phone 757-336-6122. Other developments can be found on the organization’s web site at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco/

The writer is associate publisher of www.wildponytales.info. She lives on Chincoteague Island with her family.