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Tony Pratt to speak on Storm of '62 March 17

March 15, 2017

Tony Pratt will lead a discussion on Storm of '62: 55 Years Later at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 17, at Lewes Public Library. Some 55 years ago, on March 6-8, the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States was hit by the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. This extreme nor'easter reached level 5 on the Dolan-Davis scale, injuring over 1,000 people and killing 40. Waves more than 40 feet high occurred in Rehoboth Beach. Flooding destroyed many beach homes and a large part of the boardwalk. The storm overall cost hundreds of millions of dollars in property damages in six different states. Pratt will reflect on this massive storm and describe its impact on the Delaware coastline.

Pratt is the administrator of the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section within the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, where he oversees programs related to beach nourishment, beach construction regulation, coastal hazards mitigation, waterway management and flood mitigation. He was a member of the National Research Council Committee on Beach Nourishment and Protection and the Heinz Center Panel on Risk Vulnerability and the True Costs of Coastal Hazards. He served in elected office in Lewes, four years of which were as deputy mayor. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Department of Homeland Security Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence based at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

This presentation is The Lewes Historical Society's March Speaker Series event. Each month between September and May, the society offers educational and entertaining programs that explore the history of Lewes, the surrounding area, Lewes's unique interaction in the national scene, and other related and appealing topics. Admission is free and no reservations are required. For more information, call 302-645-7670 or go to www.HistoricLewes.org.

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