Residents Urged to Prepare for Hurricane Earl
The City of Hampton and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management are urging residents to prepare for Hurricane Earl, which is forecasted to be a Category 3 or 4 hurricane as it approaches Virginia's coast later this week.
The current forecast shows the storm as tracking over 200 miles off the Virginia coast, with minimal impact to the Hampton Roads area. Residents of Hampton may experience tropical force winds Thursday and Friday and a high tide Friday morning of one to two feet above normal, which could result in minor to moderate flooding.
A significant shift in the hurricane's forecast track to the west, however, could bring severe weather conditions to the area. Therefore, it is important for residents to closely monitor the storm. Those in Hampton should review their evacuation and shelter plans. Also, people should make sure they have their emergency supplies ready.
"It is important for the City of Hampton and our residents to be proactive in preparing for the possible impact of Hurricane Earl," said Emergency Manager Curt Shaffer. "Although the forecast currently predicts moderate impacts to the Hampton Roads area, we, as a City, are doing all in our power to ensure that we are prepared to handle whatever the storm may bring our way."
The City of Hampton is actively monitoring the storm and evaluating emergency response plans regarding possible evacuation, shelters, and other response efforts. City emergency management staff, city department representatives, and staff from local relief organizations such as the American Red Cross will be participating in conference calls with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management throughout the week and providing updates to the public.
The Commonwealth has activated the Virginia Evacuation Coordination Team for Operational Response to assess Earl's potential impact and to take necessary actions. The Virginia Emergency Operations Center is now at Increased Readiness Condition.
VDEM and the Virginia Department of Transportation have created a series of online videos to help families understand storm surge (the reason for large-scale evacuations), and how an evacuation would work. The videos are available at www.youtube.com/vaemergency.
A list of needed emergency supplies and maps of storm surge areas and evacuation routes can be found at www.ReadyVirginia.gov.
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