New Jersey Shore braces for arrival of Hurricane Irene

ATLANTIC CITY - The irony of Blondie's "The Tide Is High" playing on loudspeakers was probably lost on gamblers rolling the dice in Caesars.

But outside the casinos, officials were taking unprecedented measures Friday to stay one step ahead of the massive Hurricane Irene.

Mandatory evacuations were under way for widespread coastal areas in Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties. Atlantic City casinos had decided to officially cease all gaming at noon Saturday - only the third closure since gambling began there 33 years ago.

Shore traffic would be curtailed by eastbound and southbound lane closures on major roadways.

If none of that got the point across for those still shooting craps, lolling on the beaches, or walking the boardwalks, perhaps a terse dismissal from the governor would.

"Get the hell off the beach. . . . You've maxed out your tan," Gov. Christie said during an afternoon news conference.

He was dismayed by television broadcasts that showed people still lounging on the beach in Asbury Park on Friday afternoon, he said.

Christie urged coastal residents to bunk inland for the storm's duration with family, friends, or colleagues - or, as a last resort, to head to shelters.

The state will use the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton mostly for people brought from Atlantic City by NJ Transit buses. Many of those people ultimately will be moved to other shelters, including the Izod Center at the Meadowlands. Other shelters, including one at Rowan University, filled up Friday.

Up and down New Jersey's 127-mile coastline, it did seem like one big dichotomy.

Friday was one of those perfect beach days: hot and sunny. And it was only eight days before the start of the Labor Day weekend.

But all the roadways usually clogged with inbound traffic on a summer afternoon were jammed with traffic leading away from the Shore.

As of 6 p.m., the eastbound lanes of the Atlantic City Expressway and the Ocean County portions of Routes 70 and 72 were closed. The state also closed the southbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway from Exit 98 in Wall Township to Exit 0 at Cape May.

The beaches were mostly empty, and many houses and businesses were boarded up.

By late afternoon, usually busy tourist destinations such as Beach Haven, Brigantine, Ocean City, and Cape May looked like ghost towns.

Beach patrols had stowed their lifeboats and stands and were keeping swimmers away from the water, while surfers kept vigil for the big waves.

"You have to go home," said Steve Kelly of Maple Glen, standing outside a boarded-up Mack & Manco's on the Ocean City boardwalk. "The island's empty at the north end. There's nobody there."

Kelly was waiting until Saturday morning to leave and, since he had a two-week rental, was hoping he could return after Irene.

"We got kicked off the beach a couple hours ago, and now we're just wandering the boardwalk," he said.

Elsewhere, it was all business.

Administrators at AtlantiCare announced that they were ready for whatever punch Irene could muster. They said their Atlantic City acute-care facility, built to withstand up to a Category 3 hurricane, would be fully staffed throughout the weekend to care for 130 patients riding out the storm in the hospital, and that new patients would be accepted if the need arose.

In mainland municipalities such as Hamilton Township, Richland, Woodbine, and Glassboro, rescue agencies were setting up shelters for people and their pets.

In Atlantic City, residents who had no other way to leave Absecon Island were bused out of town, and local emergency officials were setting up an additional shelter in the Convention Center.

At Casel's Supermarket in Margate, owner Howard Seiden said that despite the mandatory evacuation order, he planned to stay open as long as possible to serve his customers.

"People need milk and eggs. You feel you have to be open," said Seiden, who was personally undecided about whether to stay or leave the barrier island.

Despite what anyone said about it, Ventnor's resident beach bum, Bruno Battaglia, insisted Friday that he wasn't going to let a hurricane warning and an evacuation order interfere with his daily tanning mission.

"It's beautiful out," he said. "I wouldn't miss it."