“There are a handful of towns that have not reached the 90 percent evacuation level and that it may be difficult to get people out as conditions worsen. They are in harm’s way … these decisions are both stupid and selfish.”

- Gov. Chris Christie, Monday, Oct. 30, 2012

I disagree. Evacuation for this type of storm only made sense for narrow, low-lying islands like Long Beach Island and Strathmere. And buildings exposed to ocean waves. But evacuation was a bad idea elsewhere. There, people who stayed used common sense and made the right decision.

The National Weather Service accurately predicted that Sandy was a Category 1 storm with 74 to 95 mph winds and a five-foot storm surge. It also warned well in advance that the full moon would add another five feet to the flood tide.
This was serious and made Sandy like the 1938 hurricane that destroyed the Brigantine bridge (and made Captain Starn rich). And the hurricane of 1944 that took down the Margate boardwalk and the Heinz pier in Atlantic City. And the March 1962 storm that cut the Million Dollar Pier in half.

But was Sandy a “monster,” “super” or “Franken” storm? Not when those of us who choose to live by the ocean and back bays expect this every 20 to 30 years.

Sandy was never close to the Galveston hurricane of 1900. That was a Category 5 storm with a 20-foot storm surge that reached the third floor of houses and floated them off their foundations, killing 20,000 people. Sandy was never like Andrew, which blew out every window and tore off almost every roof with 177 mph wind gusts in 1992.

But for days the TV news, Gov. Christie and all the political Federal Emergency Management Administration “experts” said Sandy was that kind of storm. Governor Christie called it “a storm we had never seen before.”

The long-term residents who stayed relied on their own experience, did their own arithmetic, and correctly understood they had seen this type of storm before. And that the old Convention Hall, the casinos and high-rises like the Ritz, Warwick, Plaza, Berkely, etc. were the safest place to be in Atlantic City. They had generators. And they knew that the upper decks of the garages at the casinos and at The Walk were the safest place for cars.

Those who stayed in the Plaza enjoyed a safe and comfortable evening with wine, appetizers and bingo. Had the casinos stayed open, they would have kept thousands of people just as safe – while making money, paying taxes and putting people to work.

Gov. Christie publicly denounced Atlantic City Mayor Langford for using the Uptown Complex as an emergency shelter. But every neighborhood resident knows this building is a brick and stone fortress on an artificial hill high far above flood level for this type of storm.

Most single-family homes in the larger island towns like Brigantine, Atlantic City, Ocean City, Sea Isle and Cape May were safe, even when bay water covered the streets and sidewalks and flooded ground floors.

Many of those who stayed were able to protect their property by plugging leaks, switching their circuit breakers off, moving valuable property to higher floors as the water came in and guarding against looters.

It seems that most storm deaths were caused by falling trees or flood waters to people who were outside during the height of the storm. I am not aware of anyone who put themselves in danger by staying in a home or business on a built-up barrier island.

Emergency management decisions, like most choices in life, should be made by local elected leaders, residents and business owners who know their own individual situations much better than state and federal “experts.”

If we had had that liberty last week, residents, business owners and private repair contractors could have gone to and from home and work on the island towns as soon as the main streets were clear of water on the Tuesday after the Monday storm. Sea Isle Ice could have made deliveries to save food in thousands of refrigerators in the beach towns that lost power.

Local and county officials, not Gov. Christie, should have decided whether to give their employees two days off with pay, and double pay for working those days.

But the biggest problem is that residents of beach towns now have even less reason to respect state officials and future evacuation orders.

Somers Point attorney Seth Grossman appears on 92.1FM 8-9 a.m. Saturday. For information see www.libertyandprosperity.org, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (609) 927-7333. Breakfast discussions are held 9:30-10:30 a.m. every Saturday at the Shore Diner on Fire and Tilton roads in Egg Harbor Township.