Residents on Tangier Island are effectively stranded after thick ice sealed off the community, stopping all boat and air traffic since Friday. Ice now surrounds the island, and the snow-covered runway has grounded flights, cutting off groceries, mail, and daily prescription deliveries from the mainland. The last supply boat made it in several days ago. The most urgent concern is medication, along with getting one resident to a hospital for scheduled surgery. Frozen water pipes have also forced temporary school closures, with classes moved to a church building. Officials are coordinating with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to request an icebreaking vessel, but there’s no arrival estimate.
