Hampton Takes Hurricane Preparation Steps

The National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm warning for the City of Hampton. Hurricane Earl is currently south of Cape Hatteras and has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane, with a gradual weakening trend anticipated. The hurricane continues to move north and is expected to turn and move away from Virginia's coast Friday morning.

The City of Hampton will be activating its Emergency Operations Center at 10 p.m. tonight with limited staffing and will remain open until no longer necessary. City staff members continue to participate in conference calls with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and provide updates to the public. There are currently no plans for mandatory evacuation of the Hampton Roads area or lane reversal on Interstate 64.

Residents of Hampton may experience tropical force winds Thursday night through Friday morning and a high tide Friday morning of one to two feet above normal, which could result in minor to moderate flooding. Rain fall will be minimal. Since a significant shift in the hurricane's forecast track to the west could bring severe weather conditions to the area, residents are urged to closely monitor the storm and review their family emergency plan.

Hampton City Schools football games will still be held this evening (Phoebus High versus Gloucester High in Gloucester) and tomorrow evening (Kecoughtan High versus Bethel High at Darling Stadium in Hampton). Buckroe Beach Pier will close tonight from midnight through early Friday morning. Normal trash collection will occur Friday morning with no disruptions in service.

Hampton residents are reminded to listen to local instructions regarding where to find assistance and weather warnings and watches. Hampton residents can visit www.hampton.gov, call 311 (727-8311 from outside Hampton or from a cell phone), sign up for email updates at www.hampton.gov/eNews, or visit www.facebook.com/HamptonVA or www.twitter.com/cityofhampton for updates.

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City Manager’s Office
22 Lincoln Street
Hampton, VA 23669               
Phone (757) 727-6454  

John Eagle,
Assistant City Manager

Tami Back,
Public Communications Assistant

Marketing INC, the City of Hampton's marketing and communications division, provides citizens and employees with comprehensive updates on strategic and quality of life initiatives, emergency planning, diversity education, and civic involvement. The department produces a number of citizens and employee related publications such as City Page, City Page Online, Hampton Notes and serves the cities broader interest of fostering regional, state, university and international relationships.