No day at the beach as cleanup begins

HUNTINGTOWN, Md. - A neighborhood woke up with aching backs and shoulders today, but they don't seem to mind, because their efforts appear to have saved several homes threatened by this week's wicked nor'easter.

When high water began to close in on her waterfront cottage along the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, Anne Jones called everyone she could think of to help sandbag the foundation.

"It was just a real show of support from family, friends and strangers," she says. "I mean, two of the people that were out there getting wet, fighting the waves to put the sandbags out there I didn't even know. I had to introduce myself to them and say, 'You're an angel sent from heaven to help us'."

She says thousands of sandbags were placed around several homes in the Neeld Estate neighborhood of Huntingtown. Jones' 1930s-era cottage was damaged, but it could have been lost completely.

Neighbor Bill Parks says normally, in front of his home there's "maybe 25 feet of beach... depending on whether it's high tide or not. If it's low tide maybe a little bit more, maybe 35 feet. Now there's no feet."

Parks says the shoreline where he lives is constantly changing, and he's hopeful Mother Nature will eventually restore the lost sand. Two staircases that lead from the beach to a raised deck on Parks' home were damaged.

Mary Reilly's house also suffered damage, and a seawall in front was washed away. She's not sure how she'll pay for repairs, but she's thankful the storm wasn't worse. "This is a bad economy," she says. "I've been unemployed since December of last year. We're just grateful we have our houses, and our neighbors."

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