Tides Flood Atlantic City but Gambling Rolls On

Dice rolled, roulette wheels spun and gamblers fed slot machines at the city’s 11 casinos Friday, even though storm-driven tides severed New Jersey’s largest resort from the mainland and turned streets into wading pools.

An early-morning shift in winds kept the floodwaters below predicted levels and damage was lighter than had been feared, officials said.

Other coastal towns north and south of Atlantic City also were swamped and some evacuations were reported.

Tides Unusually High

The flooding was blamed on a powerful storm that raged up the coast from the Carolinas toward New England, aggravating already unusually high tides caused by a rare alignment of the Earth, moon and sun.

The flooding would have been worse had the storm not accelerated and sped by the southern New Jersey coast hours earlier than expected, shifting winds to the northwest and pushing some of the high water back to sea.

Up to 80% of Atlantic City might have been awash under at least a foot of water had the storm not accelerated, emergency operations director James Masland said.

“We are extremely thankful and very, very, very lucky,” he said.

A major storm in 1984 that drove tides up to 8.6 feet caused $15 million in damage in Atlantic City, Masland said. There was beach erosion and basement seepage Friday, but no major damage and no injuries were reported.

Casino Entrance Blocked

Waves crashed under the Boardwalk, covering some side streets as far as two blocks behind the oceanfront and blocking an entrance at Resorts International, the city’s oldest casino.

The checkout delays caused by the water tempted some Resorts guests to get in a few extra bets.

“We can’t do anything,” said Elmer Schwartzman of Annapolis, Md. “They can’t bring the cars around. The longer I hang around here, the worse it will be. The tables are drawing me in.”

Operations at the other casinos were largely unaffected.