MILLSBORO, Del. - The small Oak Orchard community sits on the Indian River Bay, and it's no stranger to flooding during storms and high tides. Monday was no different as neighbors watched flood waters cover their backyards and roadways as a result of a nor'easter spawned by Hurricane Ian.
Melissa McVaugh has lived in Oak Orchard for a year and a half now and of the storms and flooding that she's experienced, she feared Monday's could be the worst yet.
"This is the second bad one and this definitely worst than last year, because this is lingering and lasting a lot longer," McVaugh said.
The National Weather Service and Sussex County officials predicted for high tide in the Indian River Bay on Monday to come at 5:20 p.m., but water began flooding yards and roadways before 4 p.m. Neighbors' biggest concern was the flooded roads making it impossible to travel in and out of the community.
"We have to sort of time it around the tides, because there are some areas out on the streets that will get kind of deep," said Mike Masciandaro, who has lived in Oak Orchard for more than 20 years.
Still, most neighbors said they had no plans to evacuate the community and were going to handle this storm like any other.
"I feel great," Dawn Thompson said. "It's exciting. We're out here in this storm and we're gonna see what happens. We're gonna hope for the best."
Sussex County Emergency Operations officials told WBOC that they are working with the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company to help anyone in Oak Orchard that may need it during the floods. They expect the flooding to subside by Tuesday.