Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Fells Point in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

On Thursday, September 18, 2003

Hurricane Isabel, a massive Category-2 storm, slammed into the east coast.

 
 
On Thursday, September 18, 2003 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, March 22, 2008
1. On Thursday, September 18, 2003 Marker
Inscription. With its eye located just south of the Chesapeake Bay, Isabel's high winds and tidal surge caused widespread flooding, property damage and power outages from North Carolina to New York.

Downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hit the Chesapeake, Isabel's winds nevertheless drove water and waves up the Bay, inundating roads, homes and businesses. The impact of the storm caught everyone - even many experts - by surprise.

Why did Isabel cause more damage than the typical tropical storm? Rising sea levels may be partly to blame. In the Chesapeake Bay, the rate of sea level rise is nearly twice the global average. If this continues, the region - already prone to coastal hazards, especially flooding and erosion - may become even more vulnerable to storms like Isabel.

Hurricanes, tropical storms, nor'easters, floods and storm surges are natural events. They become disasters only when people, property, and resources are put at risk.

If Isabel left devastation in its wake, the storm also taught us valuable lessons about how to prepare for these events - and where and how to build along the coast. In addition, Hurricane Isabel reminded us that our rapidly changing shores and waters demand that we act now to be ready for what risks the future might bring.

Eyewitness
Wes Robinson, General
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
Manager, Henderson's Wharf
(former B&O Railroad tobacco warehouse built c. 1890)
Fell's Point
"The real adventure started around 1:30 in the morning. The water outside was rising but everyone kept thinking, this will pass, wait for high tide to recede. By 2:30 a.m., however, we had 6 inches of water inside, by 3:30 we had 8 inches, by 4 in the morning, we had 10 inches.

As it became obvious that the water was not going to recede, we moved all of our Inn guests upstairs, turned off the main power to the building and just waited it out. The storm became so intense that you did not want to go outside. And the water continued to rise, reaching two and a half feet around noon the next day.

It was about 10:30 the next morning when we began to evacuate people. Some left on foot through the knee-deep water, others were taken out by boat. There was a woman staying with us whose daughter was scheduled to undergo serious surgery at Hopkins, so she was one of the first to go.

At about 3:30 p.m., the water suddenly began to recede. It took less than an hour for it to empty from the building and the streets. It truly was like you pulled the plug on a bathtub.

At the end of the day the repairs cost us about $4.3 million. The entire first floor was stripped down to the concrete, the drywall was cut out up to about four feet, and we threw
Fells Point and the marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, March 22, 2008
2. Fells Point and the marker
away virtually all the contents of the first floor. But we managed to make lemonade out of this particular lemon: During the renovation we added a significant number of upgrades that we probably wouldn't have otherwise done.

You can't raise the elevation of this building - we're still at six-foot six-inches. If we have a similar event (hopefully not for another hundred years), we're going to have a similar amount of damage, because there's really nothing you can do to stop that amount of water.

It was definitely more difficult for the individuals in Fell's Point who were affected than it was for businesses like ours.

Probably the saddest moment during the following couple of days was when people with basement apartments on Thames Street were putting their ruined belongings out on the street. People were coming around, going through their trash - and I saw a poor woman hollering at somebody, 'Leave that alone! That's my trash, my trash! You can't have that!' "

Rain & Tide
When heavy rains and a wind-driven tide combine forces, the coastline - already vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise - takes the punch. Timing and terrain can make all the difference between minor damage and a disaster.

During a hurricane, tropical storm or nor'easter, low pressure and high winds swirling around the eye create a large,
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
wide dome of water, or storm surge, topped by wind-whipped waves.

The surge combines with the normal tide, producing an elevated storm tide. If the surge comes at high tide, the greater the likelihood of severe coastal flooding.

Exposed lowlands covered with impervious (hard) surfaces are especially susceptible to flooding. Forests and farmland absorb rainfall, which then flows slowly through underground pathways into streams. Developed areas, however, with "hardened" surfaces - roads, sidewalks, buildings, rooftops and parking lots - prevent rain from soaking into the ground.

These hard features shed water quickly. With nowhere to go, it backs up into streets, structures, and sewers. Runoff - along with accumulated waste, pollutants and other debris - rushes directly into nearby waterways, eroding banks and streambeds and smothering aquatic life.

Between 1990 and 2000, impervious surfaces around the Chesapeake watershed increased by nearly 41 percent, or about 250,000 acres, with a concentration near the Bay. (Imagine covering an area more than twice the size of Shenandoah National Park with blacktop and shingles.)

At this rate, 1.1 million acres of hard surface will cover the Bay region by 2010 - unless we plan now to identify potential hazards and limit harmful development. Only through sound land use and growth management will the Chesapeake's land, waters and people be less vulnerable to the inevitable forces of rain and tides.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Disasters. A significant historical year for this entry is 1990.
 
Location. 39° 16.912′ N, 76° 35.596′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Fells Point. Marker is on Thames Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Baltimore MD 21213, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Chesapeake Campaign & The War of 1812 (a few steps from this marker); Fells Point (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Fells Point (within shouting distance of this marker); 1630 Shakespeare Street (within shouting distance of this marker); 1632 Shakespeare Street (within shouting distance of this marker); 1627 Shakespeare Street (within shouting distance of this marker); 1628 Shakespeare Street (within shouting distance of this marker); 1625 Shakespeare Street (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on April 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,597 times since then and 5 times this year. Last updated on April 21, 2023, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on March 22, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=220806

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 19, 2024