'Sandy' was a Sand Storm at Hampton Beach

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By Patrick Cronin

Hampton Union, Tuesday, October 30, 2012

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online]

A bulldozer begins to clean up sand on Concord Avenue at Hampton Beach on Tuesday morning.
[Deb Cram photo]

HAMPTON -- Sand everywhere. That’s the story at Hampton Beach on Tuesday morning, where superstorm Sandy was true to her name and tossed sand up onto the roads, sidewalks and buildings.

“We just got a lot of sand,” said John Kane, who lives on Ocean Boulevard. “The rain kept the sand in place for the majority of the storm, but once it stopped it just blew everywhere.”

The cleanup effort was in its early stages before 8 a.m. today with crews from the state Department of Transportation and state Department of Resources and Economic Development out removing the sand.

The areas hit hardest by the sand-blasting were the top of N Street and Haverhill Avenue. Sand also covered the state-owned parking lots.

Hampton Police Chief Jamie Sullivan said Tuesday they were coordinating cleanup efforts and working with Unitil to deal with downed wires, including one on the Timber Swamp Road.

Unitil crews will also be out working to restore power to those who lost it overnight.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,000 people were still without power in Hampton.

In Hampton Falls, the number was 390 and in Seabrook the number was 102.

Sullivan said the midnight high tide was similar to the one they experienced earlier Monday, with water splashing over the seawall and minor flooding on the back streets of Ashworth Avenue.

Sullivan said the minor flooding, which receded with the high tide, was pretty common for an astronomical high tide.

“Compared to what we saw occur in other places, we were very lucky,” he said.

As for the sand, Sullivan said state crews will be working to remove debris as well as the “great deal of sand” that blew in from the beach.

But Kane, who has lived through many storms at the beach, said Sandy wasn’t that bad.

“As far as storms go this was not major for us,” said Kane. “If you heeded the advise and bunkered down you were all set.”


Sand covered the stairs and sidewalks around Hampton Beach.
[Deb Cram photo]


The aftermath of Sandy at Hampton Beach.
[Deb Cram photo]


The aftermath of Sandy at Hampton Beach.
[Deb Cram photo]


The aftermath of Sandy at Hampton Beach.
[Deb Cram photo]


A man with a metal detector in the aftermath of "Sandy" at Hampton Beach. [Deb Cram photo]
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