Nightly News   |  August 27, 2011

City gets next of kin information for those not evacuating

Emergency managers ordered a mandatory evacuation of Ocean City, Md. on Friday, but those who refused to leave gave their personal information and the names and addresses of their next of kin. NBC’s Tom Costello reports.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>> let's go further on up the coast, tom costello, ocean city , maryland, and see how conditions have either up proved or deteriorated there, tom?

>> i think it is the latter, brian. good evening. we are looking at 35-mile-per-hour sustained winds at this point. also 4 inches of rain. expecting another 10 or so. behind me the ocean we are told, about 20, 25 feet in terms of the caps. we have also just in the last few minutes learned that the police department has pulled their officers off the streets.

>> reporter: the outer bands of irene started hitting the delmarva peninsula late this morning in ocean city . officer freddie howard spent the day on the streets watching for looters or residents who refused to leave.

>> making sure our city, community, local families and business people , and citizens are safe.

>> reporter: 23-year resident ray godman decided to ride it out with his family.

>> we want to be here in case we got to board something up.

>> reporter: emergency managers ordered a mandatory evacuation friday. today they warned those who insisted on staying could be making a deadly decision.

>> we took their personal information then asked for the name and address of their next of kin.

>> reporter: from the beach in ocean city we watched the storm progress through the day. just about 9:30 in the morning. sustained wind here on the beach in ocean city of about 21 miles per hour. 12:45 p.m . here in ocean city . 31 miles per hour. sustained winds and surf has really picked up. 4:15 now, sustained winds of 35 or so. gusts to 40. and the ocean is starting to move up the beach. meanwhile, further inland, power crews are standing by in the d.c. area in the event that region loses electricity. we have been hearing over and over again the chief concern here in the delmarva is flooding they're expecting so much rain. we can tell you the hotel we're in and the cam raise era is in the hotel has started to see serious leakage or rain getting into the rooms. i just noticed the top of the roof which you can't see is starting to peel off. we are only at 35 miles per hour. we are going to go even double that, we think, brian, back to you.