A busy day it has been!
To offer some relief, please see the attached hourly graph which shows a
downward trend in both rain and winds.
Gusts in the low to mid-30’s are expected to remain between now and
Monday, which is quite favorable to what we’ve been experiencing in the 50mph
range. Furthermore, the worst of the
rain is past. More is likely between now
and 5pm but accumulation is minimal – less than an inch between now and the
rest of the weekend.
Now for the more sobering news. We’re not out of the woods yet as it pertains
to coastal flooding. Based on the
attached tide chart, we are past the high tide which did not see the 6.7 level
as predicted, and it still caused the significant flooding we saw in the
roadways. And the next high tide around
midnight tonight may be quite similar. We can take solace in
the fact there shouldn’t be many motorists on the roads around that time, but
there will be some. This is a rather new
development; we will monitor this closely and keep you apprised of any updates.
As it pertains to power outages, Dominion has been doing
great work, most recently reporting 3,636 out of 97,004 customers without power (see attached). There have also been several reports of
flooded streets, downed or damaged trees and downed power lines.
One area of the city, Spartan Village, experienced more
flooding than it should have. The pumps
at Ohio Creek were in place and checked beforehand, but debris, garbage and
even a football served to block and impeded their ability to move the
water. As a consequence, Spartan Village and the VB
Blvd/Park intersection were flooded.
Crews moved quickly to remedy the issue and get the pumps operating again. Moreover, Directors James Rogers (Community Development) and David Ricks(Public Works) and
others kept constant communication with Civic League leadership and residents
in the area. Lastly, in partnership with
Dr. Houston and Gethsemane Fellowship Church, the American Red Cross and
Operation Blessing along with Norfolk Human Services, Police and Fire-Rescue,
we opened a shelter for those interested - a true and successful test of what Norfolk's Operation Brother's Keeper program is all about.
Despite many offers, as the water never entered any of the homes, there was no interest among the residents in going to a shelter.
Messaging
continues to go out by all means available and the recommendations remain the
same with the addition of two more. Along with noting driving or playing in flood waters and keeping away from
downed power lines, we must emphasize the importance of keeping storm drains clear. Also, there is one more
important message coming from Fire Chief Wise in dealing with the use of generators, propane
stoves and candles and carbon monoxide. Often when people lose electricity they
revert to those means to have electricity or cook and they don't think about
carbon monoxide. Generators and cooking
grills should always be used outside. Likewise, in some homes with downed
trees, gas lines could be ruptured and thus candles should not be used.
Thanks for everyone's continued efforts, coordination and support for our resilient Team and Community!!
Sincerely,
Jim
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