‘The Water Was Crazy': Mom Describes Family's Jersey Shore Rescue
After losing everything in Hurricane Sandy, a mother worries she will again
By Noreen O'Donnell ••
Crystal Hutchinson knew the Jersey Shore might flood during the blizzard so when she woke at 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, she checked for rising water.
Nothing.
Forty-five minutes later her husband, James, woke her again. The fast moving water was almost on their porch in North Wildwood and the electricity was off.
“The water was crazy, crazy right outside of the door,” she said.
Hutchinson, her husband, her five children as well as her neighbor’s teenage daughter and the girl’s boyfriend were stranded and the North Wildwood Police Department was overwhelmed with emergency calls.
“The water was still coming up and we didn’t know how we were going to get out,” she said.
Crystal Hutchinson
A submerged car in North Wildwood, New Jersey, during flooding on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016.
An hour and a half later, they were able to flag down a 5-ton military truck that the police use for high waters. They passed the younger children over then waded in. Later Hutchinson tweeted a photo of her 9-year-old daughter, Jolie Wilson, being carried to the truck. The photo was taken by her neighbor, Ashgan Abouelgheet.
“We were petrified,” Hutchinson said. “We were so scared. The kids were all having anxiety attacks.”
Three years ago, the family lost everything while living in neighboring Wildwood during superstorm Sandy. They were afraid they would again.
The Hutchinsons and their neighbors were among up to 200 people evacuated by the police department throughout the day, Chief Matthew Gallagher said. Cities at the southern end of the Jersey Shore were flooded more severely than during Sandy while other were pummeled as dramatically or worse.
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Commuters cross piles of snow to catch a bus, Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, in New York. The weekend's storm dropped snow from the Gulf Coast to New England, with near-record snowfalls tallied from Washington to New York City, creating delays along snow-covered streets.
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Workers clear the tracks of snow at the Port Washington branch of the Long Island Railroad, Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, in Port Washington, NY. Service is suspended on the Port Washington branch due to the recent snow storm.
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Women wear animal onesie pajamas during an organized snowball fight at Dupont Circle, Jan. 24, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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Fred Leach, of East Falmouth, Mass., removes snow from a walkway near boats in winter storage at Green Pond Marina, Jan. 24, 2016, in East Falmouth.
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Eli Bokor, 2, is pulled in a laundry basket by his father Ben Bokor down a snow covered 15th Street SE in Washington, Jan. 24, 2016.
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A man sits by an ice covered lake in Central Park on January 24, 2016 in New York, City. Most of New York's streets were cleaned up over night after a huge snow storm slammed into the mid Atlantic states including New York.
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Harrison Feind of Boulder, Colo., takes a selfie with a snowman in front of the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. A blizzard with hurricane-force winds brought much of the East Coast to a standstill Saturday, dumping as much as 3 feet of snow, stranding tens of thousands of travelers and shutting down the nation's capital and its largest city.
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Beatrice Evangeline, 3, walks through a narrow shoveled path on January 24, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Flooded streets in Wildwood, New Jersey.
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A man digs out his car after he got stuck in snow on a hill in Alexandria, Va., Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016.
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Ben Osborn walks with a shovel past a line of snowed-in cars A Steet in northeast Washington, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016.
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A woman bounces at the bottom as she sleds down the snow-covered steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 in Washington. Millions of Americans began digging out Sunday from a mammoth blizzard that set a new single-day snowfall record in Washington and New York City. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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A woman decorates a snowman in Times Square as all cars but emergency vehicles are banned from driving on the road on Jan. 23, 2016 in New York City. The Northeast and parts of the South experienced heavy snow and ice from a slow moving winter storm. Numerous deaths from traffic accidents were reported as the storm moves up the coast.
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A Humvee makes its way along Piney Branch Parkway in Rock Creek Park on Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, D.C.
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Peyton Sullivan, 9, flies over a berm while snow tubing in Rock Creek Park on Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, D.C.
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A man uses cross country skies as he goes down M Street NW in the snow, Jan. 23, 2016 in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC.
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People get on the elevated train, one of the only two train lines in operation, as snow continues to fall on Jan. 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Elli runs down the snow covered street ahead of his owners in Rockville, Maryland, on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Icicles hang from a business, Jan. 23, 2016 in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC.
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People walk through the snow on Jan. 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Residents pass a snowman in Rittenhouse Square as snow continues to fall on Jan. 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Ice forms as the winter storm mixed with high tide causes flooding on Beach Avenue on Jan. 23, 2016 in Cape May, New Jersey.
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A man jogs with bags on his feet along Schuylkill Banks as snow continues to fall on Jan. 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Children play in the snow on the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol January 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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A man takes advantage of an unplowed street to play with his dog in the Parkview neighborhood on Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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Hoboken city employee Edwin Lopez uses a snow shovel to block the sideways-blowing snow from his face while cleaning up a walking path at Pier A Park during a snowstorm, Jan. 23, 2016, in Hoboken, N.J.
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Cape May, New Jersey, experienced massive waves and some flooding, Jan. 23, 2016.
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A uniformed U.S. Secret Service police officer stands guard in a knee-deep snow outside the White House in Washington, Jan. 23, 2016.
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A man walks down the street with a snow shovel in blizzard-like conditions on Jan. 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
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Headstones are nearly covered by snow at Arlington National Cemetery, Jan. 23, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia.
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A man jogs along Schuylkill Banks riverwalk as snow continues to fall on January 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Chris Saunders, right, pulls his 2 year-old daughter Skylar through Rittenhouse Square as snow continues to fall on Jan. 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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A snowman is seen on a deserted street, Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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Stacy Reyan, 44, sits in the eucalyptus steam room at the Lorien Hotel Spa after getting a facial, Jan. 23, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. One in seven Americans will get at least half a foot of snow outside their homes when this weekend's big storm is done.
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A Metro employee digs out his stuck snow plow near the Georgia Ave.-Petworth metro station on Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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A street sign is surrounded by water as the winter storm mixed with high tide causes flooding on Beach Avenue on Jan. 23, 2016 in Cape May, New Jersey.
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Homeless people take refuge inside a subway station as snow continues to fall on Jan. 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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A woman crosses Broad Street in downtown Philadelphia as snow continues to fall on Jan. 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Stanley Bullock clears snow from around his truck in the Parkview neighborhood on Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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Backyards sit under a blanket of snow in the Parkview neighborhood on Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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Soldiers with the 275th Military Police company, and a Washington Firefighter, in a Humvee, assist a stranded motorist in the snow on I-395, Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington.
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Plastic flowers peek through falling snow in the Parkview neighborhood on Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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Glen Eck attempts to put chains on his tire while his car is stuck in a snow drift on Jan. 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The city is under a snow emergency, is expected to get over 18 inches of snowfall.
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Michelle Navarre Cleary pulls a bag as she walks on K Street in Washington on Jan. 23, 2016, as snow continues to fall.
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National Guard members and other people help to push a police car, which got stuck in the snow on Jan. 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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A commuter leaving the Hoboken PATH train station crosses a snow-covered intersection during a snowstorm, Jan. 23, 2016, in Hoboken, N.J.
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A NYC transit worker shovels snow from a subway platform on January 23, 2016 in New York.
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Heavy snow falls in New York's Upper West Side, Jan. 23, 2016, as a large winter storm rolls up the East Coast.
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Tian Tian, a panda at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, plays in the snow Jan. 22, 2016. "Giant pandas have thick woolly fur coats, perfect for keeping them warm even when rolling in snow," the zoo wrote on Twitter.
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Sean Jackson and Gina Del Tatto push their child, Hayes Jackson, in a stroller as heavy snow falls in New York's Upper West Side, Jan. 23, 2016, as a large winter storm rolls up the East Coast.
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A vehicle crosses a snow-covered road near the Holland Tunnel during a snowstorm, Jan. 23, 2016, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
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A traffic jam on I-75 captured by Stephanie Murnan. A road trip that was supposed to take 6 hours was taking more than 19 hours for Stephanie Murnan and her boyfriend traveling from Columbus, Ohio to Typischen Forest, Tennessee. "Thankfully my phone was still streaming Netflix at 2 am!" she said. The couple is planning on heading back to Ohio when the traffic clears.
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A man walks in car tracks during a snowstorm early Jan. 23, 2016, in Atlantic City.
A tractor trailer rig drives during a snowstorm along the Atlantic City Expressway, Jan. 22, 2016, near Atlantic City.
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A man maneuvers a push cart with passengers during a snowstorm early, Jan. 23, 2016, on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
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A bobcat piles up snow in front of the U.S. Capitol, as the snow falls, Jan. 22, 2016, in Washington.
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Ben Cichy pulls a sled with his sons Adrian, 18-months-old, and Logan 3, inside as they head for sledding in the snow on Capitol Hill, Jan. 22, 2016 in Washington.
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Donald Walker waits to cross the street with crusted snow and ice in his beard and hair, as the snow falls, Jan. 22, 2016 in Washington.
Architect of the Capitol crews clear the East Plaza at the U.S. Capitol as they try to keep up with the heavy snow in Washington, DC on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016.
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A homeless man shelters himself at a metro station near the White House in Washington, DC on Jan. 22, 2016.
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A snowplow cleans up snow on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 22, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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A man walks down 17th Street during a snowstorm in Washington, DC on Jan. 22, 2016.
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Snow-covered nuns from the Fraternite Notre Dame in Chicago stand in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, following the annual March for Life. Snow began to fall early afternoon as approaching blizzard conditions threatens to shut down the Washington area.
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A biker crosses a monument in Lafayette Park during a snow storm in Washington on January 22, 2016.
People run through the snow past the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2016. Thousands of flights were cancelled and supermarket shelves were left bare Friday as millions of Americans hunkered down for a winter storm expected to dump historic amounts of snow in the eastern United States.
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A staff member walks one of the Obama's dogs at the White House during a snow storm in Washington on January 22, 2016.
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A Bobcat clears snow from Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House during a snow storm in Washington on January 22, 2016.
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A statue in the snow at the home stadium of the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Jan. 22, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the NFC Championship game is due to be played on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2015.
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A man walks through the snow in Uptown Charlotte on January 22, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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An NCDOT snow plow clears the roadway along Interstate 40 during a winter storm on January 22, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
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A worker in a hardware store assembles snow shovels on January 21, 2016 ahead of an expected blizzard.
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New York Fire Department firefighters stock up on salt before New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks about the city's preparedness for an upcoming snowstorm at the Spring Street salt shed on January 21, 2016 in New York, NY. Winter Storm Jonas is expected to hit New York City between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and the National Weather Service recently included New York City on a blizzard watch.
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A forecaster analyses data of an incoming winter storm January 21, 2016 at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Maryland.
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A convenience store in Raleigh, N.C., advertises the "essentials" as a winter storm threatens to dump the first big snow of the season on Jan. 21, 2016.
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A shopper looks at the bottled water section at a supermarket on January 21, 2016 ahead of an expected blizzard in Washington, DC.
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A computer model forecasts that snow up to two feet may hit areas west and southwest of the Washington, DC. Washington could possibly get 15 to 20 inches, Philadelphia could see 12 to 18, and New York City and Long Island could see 8 to 10.
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A bicyclist rides on a sidewalk near Franklin Square Park after snow fell the day before on January 21, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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The White House is viewed after the city received a light snow storm overnight January 21, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini speaks during a news conference on a winter storm forecast January 21, 2016 at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Maryland.
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A pile of shoveled snow stands in the plaza on the east side of the U.S. Capitol January 21, 2016 in Washington, DC. One inch of snowfall delayed school openings in the greater Washington, DC, area on Thursday as people along the Easter Seaboard prepare for a blizzard to arrive within the next 24 hours.
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A man walks along Pennsylvania Avenue past Secret Service officers and the White House after the city received a light snow storm overnight January 21, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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A backhoe moves salt inside the Farragut Salt Dome on Jan. 21, 2016 in Washington, DC. Additional equipment is on standby in case of a substantial snowfall and the salt domes are filled to capacity, with more than 39,000 tons of salt.
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Near empty shelves are seen in the produce section at a supermarket on January 21, 2016, ahead of an expected blizzard in Washington, DC. A blizzard warning has been issued for the Washington region with a forecast of 2 feet, 61 cm, of snow. / AFP / Mandel Ngan (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Police Officer Joseph Kopetsky, who carried Jolie to the truck, said that the Hutchinsons’ call for help was among 45 pending at one point. The water was a few inches from the top his waders — about 4 to 4 1/2 feet, he estimated. He and his fellow officer, Justin Robinson, tired to keep the children calm.
“We just tried out best to make them comfortable while we guided them into the truck,” Kopetsky said. “It’s intimidating.”
The Hutchinsons eventually found their way to Crystal Hutchinson’s mother’s house in nearby North Cape May.
In the end, the water stopped rising soon after they left and they had no damage. But others in town lost belongings, she said.
“We were the lucky ones,” she said. “There were a lot of people who were much less fortunate.”
