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Cape St. Mary's Marina at Sandgates, on the Patuxent River, under water the morning after Isabel came to town.  Right, Drift Inn, the granddaddy of all crab houses in Southern Maryland, is under water after the Patuxent River brought the water level inside up to about 5'.  Leonard Copsey had the place refurbished and ready to open the following spring. 

This million dollar home on St. George's Island in St. Mary's County was built above the flood level and by being elevated was spared serious damage by Hurricane Isabel. While the yard and pier are under water, the home was secure.  At right is a boat with a hole ripped in the bottom and tossed upside down by Hurricane Isabel. This scene was repeated all around Breton Bay.   ST. MARY'S TODAY photo.

Quade's Store at Bushwood Wharf on the Wicomico River was above the flood from Hurricane Isabel in 2003 as it was built up on stilts after a hurricane in the 1930's wiped out the old store and steamship wharf.  Right, North Beach was heavily damaged during Isabel as the waves from the Chesapeake Bay crashed into the line of homes along the town's boardwalk.

OLD BRETON BEACH --- Homes are being built at Old Breton Beach to replace those wiped out in the hurricane.  These new homes, like the one at left, are being built above the high tide flood level with blowout panels underneath that most owners use as garage space.  
St. Mary's Commissioner Kenny Dement (R. Piney Point), with local officials and Red Cross workers, met in the front yard of this house which was destroyed by the Hurricane to see what the county could do to help the residents. 
After this meeting, which was two days after Isabel struck, the commissioners held several more meetings with residents in firehouses around the county.  A county official was appointed to assist residents with coordinating assistance from state and federal agencies.  But during the storm and even now, four years later, there was no radio communication from any local radio stations as they are on remote control without any live announcers during an emergency. An emergency generator provided by the county to the radio station could have been used but no one was sent to the station to turn it on. A new arrangement to provide emergency radio instructions from a Virginia station which has a signal over part of St. Mary's may help while the radio station owner now plans to install a new generator.  When Isabel struck, the only communications that worked were cell phones, yet cell towers are still held up by obstructionists such as one Wildewood resident who has protested new cell antennas on a water tower.  Power was out to thousands of area residents for up to 2 weeks, making for a lot of smelly and hot people.
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo.

St. George's Island was flooded with about 2 to 3 feet of water over the entire island.  This view looks towards the south end of the island with the Potomac at rear.  Right, a No Looting Zone was established in many areas where power and phones were out and looters made nighttime visits at their own risk.  This homeowner was prepared to shoot first in any language.
Residents chased off looters in various parts of the region as police increased patrols. 
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo