"I've lived here my whole life," said one man. "And on the street, the tide was higher than I've ever seen it." Watch video
STONE HARBOR -- Some business owners in the tiny shore town were hauling drenched merchandise to the curb Monday, forced to start all over again. Others were sipping coffee while cleanup crews worked, counting their blessings. And still others, as one woman said, were "bone dry."
A fine layer of mud carpeted some sidewalks, while reeds washed in from the bay adorned a few benches.
Tom Hand, third-generation owner of Fred's Tavern, had been through this before. He said the damage to his bar was roughly similar to that left behind by Sandy.
"It's not as bad as Sandy," he said. "This was 18 inches, Sandy was probably about 6 inches higher. But whether it's a few inches or a few feet, you've got the same problems."
A cleanup crew was sterilizing the bar's floors while Hand and his employees dumped food into receptacles out back.
"It was strange," he said. I've lived here my whole life, and on the street, the tide was higher than I've ever seen it."
T.F. McCallum, who owns an art store in town, was in the process of moving his inventory into a new shop when the storm hit. He had avoided other large storms, but not this one.
"Usually I'm able to avoid you guys," he told a reporter. "For Sandy and Irene I was prepared. But I just moved here. This time everything was on the floor."
He got less than a foot of water in his new shop, but the vulnerable merchandise -- baskets, wood sculptures and other art -- was a total loss.
"I'm screwed," McCallum said. He reacted to criticism Gov. Chris Christie's assertion Monday morning that there was no residual flooding damage with a shrug.
"He should be getting slammed," he said. "This is getting too common."
Tom Marchetti, owner of Freedom Fitness gym, shoveled debris that had washed onto a deck from the bay.
"A lot of these are summer businesses," he said. "I think the people down here are going to need a lot of help. For a summer business to get hit like this in winter, that's bad. I would think the governor would want to be down here right now, not when he gets back."
Christie, who was in New Jersey during the weekend but returned to New Hampshire, said he sent the state's Office of Emergency Management to begin damage assessments to see if the state can apply for Federal Disaster Relief.
"I have dispatched teams to Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean and Cumberland counties today, led by the Lieutenant Governor and DEP Commissioner, to assess any damage," Christie said in a statement. "They report the flood waters have, in the main, receded and that only 500 power outages remain from a high during the storm of approximately 100,000. I have also sent the leaders of the Economic Development Authority to work with any businesses which sustained any damage.
Chris Cooke, who bought his business, a gift and decor shop called Across The Way, just after Hurricane Sandy, said that his store simply had not been hit hard enough to warrant any expectation of government aid.
"After Sandy, we tried to make the store water resistant," he said. That meant installing ceramic tile floor and specially insulated brick walls. "Some merchandise was ruined because it was on the ground, but otherwise it worked out well."
Kelly Keller is a lifelong shore resident and owner of Coastal FX, a women's accessory shop. She has come to consider the storms part of normal life.
"I know a lot of people don't feel this way, but you can't blame it on the government or blame it on God. You have you be prepared. I've learned that there will always be a next time.
"We're not diminishing what anyone else went through," she added. "It's just that we could've had it much worse."
Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.