OAK ORCHARD, De. - Sunday morning, much of the water from the storm and the Indian River Bay had receded and people began to come back to their homes and assess the possible damage.
Saturday morning's high tide brought water very quickly into the Oak Orchard community flooding road like River Road and sending water up a big portion of Oak Orchard Road, nearly reaching the Oak Orchard Community Church and Indian River Volunteer Fire Department.
Many neighbors WBOC spoke with before the storm said they were not too worried about the conditions or what the tides would bring. However, once the storm began and the water began to rise, many people either evacuated before water reached their front doors or were helped out by emergency crews or the National Guard.
WBOC caught up with some Oak Orchard neighbors on Sunday morning as the roads began to clear. Jim Santangelo told WBOC that he was in his home for the duration of the storm and he and his wife ended up with between nine and 12 inches of water in their kitchen. They were hard at work Sunday morning trying to clean up the mess.
"I've been here since 1999, lived right here and no, it's never been this bad here. This is worse than Hurricane Sandy. It's one of the things about living along the water, you know what I mean? You just never know what God is going to deliver to us," Santangelo said Sunday.
Despite the storm, high tides, and water damage, every person WBOC either interviewed or spoke with in passing said they would never consider leaving their Oak Orchard community.
