Hermine moves east, leaving rough surf - and deals on clams

SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. - As vacationers began leaving the Shore over the weekend, fleeing a storm that never materialized, Mike Monichetti realized that he had 42,000 clams that weren't going to sell themselves.

Monichetti, owner of Mike's Seafood & Dock, put the word out: buy 50, get 50 free. The clams started going pretty fast after that, he said, with many customers buying them by the hundreds with plans to have "storm parties."

"Did I lose money? Yeah," Monichetti said Monday. "Did I feel good doing it? Yeah."

Facing a roiling Atlantic Ocean and the danger of "life-threatening inundation," in the words of the National Weather Service, New Jersey residents were bracing for Hermine to strike with Sandy-like fury this weekend.

But the storm, whose name is the German female version of "Herman," tracked 300 miles east of New Jersey, more powder puff than powder keg.

"We did good on this one," said North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello. "I'll take it."

Rough surf, high waves, and dangerous rip currents were still expected Monday on the Jersey Shore, said Al Cope, meteorologist at the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office in Mount Holly.

A few minor problems developed. Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian said his city experienced some beach erosion and dune loss. And, he said, there was a little flooding on Massachusetts Avenue.

In Longport, the problem wasn't flooding but communication, said Mayor Nicholas Russo.

Specifically, residents were confused by what exactly Gov. Christie meant Saturday when he declared an emergency.

"We have to do a better job of defining this," Russo said. "A lot of people were asking me whether a state of emergency meant they should stay or evacuate. It's a strong term and means different things to different people. We should have levels of emergency."

For the remainder of Monday, only minor flooding was forecast. "The effects of Hermine were not as severe as we thought," Cope said. "There's always uncertainty with a tropical storm, and this one moved farther east than expected."

The storm still threatens eastern Long Island and parts of Cape Cod with coastal flooding.

The streets of Sea Isle City were quiet Monday morning, though locals and tourists alike said the weekend wasn't a total bust. Restaurants were still relatively busy, they said, and bars were lively.

"There was some excitement in the air that the weather turned out so great," said Joe Prato, a Sea Isle City resident for 20 years. "The people who stayed, everybody was having a great time."

Charlie Incaudo and his girlfriend, Regina Speaker, of Downingtown, stayed at Incaudo's weekend house and even went to the beach Sunday.

"It was windy, but so sunny," Speaker said. "We probably ate a couple pounds of sand, though."

On Monday afternoon, Sea Isle City's beachfront bars were bustling with knots of people drinking and enjoying the cool breezes. Despite the chilly weather, people were scattered up and down the beach, while children played in tide pools. Beneath an overcast sky, frothy waves thumped against the sand. No one was allowed in the water and lifeguards patrolled the area, occasionally calling a few surfers back onto shore.

Propped in a beach chair and listening to music on portable speakers, Donna Di Giovanni sipped champagne out of a Wawa travel coffee mug.

"This is the best time of year," said Di Giovanni, 52, a resident of Sea Isle City for 20 years and a retired state worker from Pennsylvania. "The tourists leave. I like it better this way, nice and cloudy - you don't have to put sunscreen on."

She was celebrating her 20th anniversary - the first since she lost her wife, Pat, to cancer last year. If Pat were alive, she said, they'd both be out on the beach, drinking cocktails.

"It feels strange to be alone, but you've got to find a new path," she said.

With the foreboding weather forecast bringing a swifter end to summer tourism, the mood around town last weekend was subdued, Di Giovanni said. The bigger waves and gray skies that she likes best were just icing on the cake.

"This is fabulous, to be able to see the roaring sea and not have it affect us," she said. "We're so blessed."

asteele@phillynews.com

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