Nor’easter floods East Coast roads and cancels festival events

A powerful nor’easter brought coastal flooding, dangerous surf and strong winds to parts of the East Coast on Friday, with forecasters warning that the storm could continue to affect communities through the weekend. Floodwater covered roads in Ocean City, Maryland, and streets on New Jersey’s Long Beach Island by Friday night, while the storm also disrupted travel and led to the cancellation of scheduled festival events. The National Weather Service reported that tides in Alexandria, Virginia, were 2 to 2.5 feet above normal on Thursday. Water covered streets along the Potomac riverfront, including parts of the Strand and King Street, and affected some roads and parks. Alexandria emergency management coordinator Marc Barbiere said the water recedes as the tide goes out, while further high-tide flooding was expected through the weekend. In Ocean City, organizers of the Oceans Calling festival and the city fire department said Friday’s events were canceled because weather and beach erosion made it impossible to complete the site build safely. Organizers said holders of Friday tickets and one-third of three-day tickets would receive refunds within 30 days.