Hampton Closes Emergency Operations Center
Hampton has closed the Emergency Operations Center effective at 8:30 a.m. this morning.
Hurricane Earl has produced less than one tenth of an inch of rain and is expected to continue moving quickly towards the northeast with clearing expected after noon today.
Hampton has experienced no flooding and there have been no reports of damage. The peak of the storm occurred sometime after 6 a.m., which was just past the high tide mark that occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. Hampton may continue to have wind gusts up to 40 mph until noon today.
All city community centers, golf courses, libraries and other city facilities are open with normal operating hours. No regularly scheduled facilities are closed. Trash pickup for Friday will be performed as usual; however, Monday's trash pickup is scheduled for Wednesday in observance of Labor Day, as is normal practice.
City officials are pleased that Earl tracked as predicted by the National Weather Service. According to Assistant City Manager Jimmy Gray, who oversees all public safety related operations, "We dodged a big one." Had the storm tracked only slightly to the west, the city could have faced a catastrophic storm.
And while the event proved good exercise for storm preparation, city officials caution against becoming complacent in the future. "Anytime a storm is tracking this way, residents need to take it seriously and be prepared," said Gray.
The City will continue to monitor for any unexpected reports as a result of Earl.
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