Surging ocean, bay waters pound Ocean City with heavy flooding

Storm surge considered worst since Hurricane Gloria in 1985

But other town residents chose to ride out the storm elsewhere. At the Hilton, Bunting, the downtown refugee, was joined by neighbors Joel and Christine Brous, who watched from a hotel lobby window as the wind and rain besieged their own hotel, the Flamingo Motel, a block away. They browsed photos on Facebook from neighbors who stayed behind, including one showing a teenage boy surfing the bay floodwaters and another showing a stray boat floating toward bayfront homes.

"We're calling it our evacuation vacation," Bunting said.

"Our evacuation staycation," Joel Brous corrected.

The Hilton was a refuge for other local residents, like Rick and Dawn Goodwin of Ocean Pines. Both work for the Harrison Group, the hotel's owner; he is the Hilton's executive chef and food and beverage director.

"I feel like this is the safest place we could possibly be," Dawn Goodwin said, watching from a protected parking area at the hotel as the wind flung debris toward the beach. "This is a lot better than there," she added, referring to her home, which is surrounded by large trees.

Town officials focused on getting through Monday night. The storm made landfall to the north in New Jersey and moved inland, which may ease conditions later Tuesday.

"The sun will shine again in Ocean City," Theobald said.

Baltimore Sun reporters Tim Wheeler and Kevin Rector contributed to this article.

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