A man stands on a dry patch of sidewalk as a vehicle drives up a flooded street ahead of Hurricane Sandy in Atlantic City yesterday. (Getty Images)
Lady Luck was a no-show in Atlantic City.
Sandy arrived in full force yesterday, and the hurricane gave the city such a brutal pounding that most of it wound up under water.
“The city’s basically flooded,’’ said Willie Glass, Atlantic City’s public-safety director.
The city and its 12 casinos were ordered to evacuate Sunday. Yesterday, despite plywood over casino windows, some of the neon signs still flashed.
Gov. Chris Christie urged those on the barrier islands who hadn’t yet left to get away during low tide yesterday afternoon.
“This is not a time to be a show-off, this is not a time to be stupid,’’ he said. “This is the time to save yourself and your family.’’
And in a poke at Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford, he said, “For those elected officials who decided to ignore my admonition, this is now your responsibility.”
The warnings didn’t stop Ron Skinner, a Harrah’s employee, from going to the beach. “It is what it is,’’ he said. “I don’t worry much.’’
Still, a 50-foot section of the northern end of the famed Atlantic City Boardwalk was torn away by floodwaters. A 13-foot surge of seawater was reported.
Emergency-management officials, aided by National Guard troops, said they were going through the city areas most at risk, looking for people who didn’t move from their homes.
Bob McDevitt, president of the main Atlantic City casino workers union, stayed put, but not without reservation.
“I have never seen so much water in the inlet; it’s totally underwater,’’ he said. “When I think about how much water is already in the streets, and how much more is going to come with high tide tonight, this is going to be devastating. I think this is going to be a really bad situation tonight.’’
At one point first responders in Atlantic County and Atlantic City were ordered to return to shelter and cease operations, but later were allowed to venture back to the water-logged streets.