CHESAPEAKE BEACH, MD - The merciless winds and rains of Hurricane Isabel created a 28 feet tidal surge up Chesapeake Bay, flooding many communities along the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The town of Chesapeake Beach recorded wind speeds over 60 miles per hour and an estimated 80 miles per hour peak.
Chesapeake Beach Mayor Gerald Donavan said that his community emerged unscathed other than flooding at a local restaurant. Water came within 2 inches of flooding another popular restaurant in town but a new hotel, the Chesapeake Beach Hotel and Spa, under construction was undamaged.
Mayor Donavan attributes this success to following FEMA’s “directive” to construct the hotel four feet off the ground. “People get upset with the Federal government,” stated Mayor Donovan, “but hats off to FEMA. The hotel barely got a scratch.”
The Chesapeake Beach Hotel and Spa opened in April 2004. The hotel has 72 rooms, retail and restaurant facilities. Protecting this $6 million property from damages resulting from hurricanes and floods makes good business sense. Mayor Donavan said, “We went through a 100-year storm and didn’t get wet. We’re really thrilled.”