Friday, August 26, 2011

Hurricane Irene: Valley emergency info from Del. Steve Landes

Hurricane Irene is making its way up the eastern coast of the United States. The storm is expected to make landfall by 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening. Peak impact will be Saturday night into early Sunday. Governor Bob McDonnell has declared a State of Emergency in preparation for the hurricane.

Given the timing of the storm, it could touch down during high tide causing additional storm surge. Because it is a slow-moving cell, 15 mph, expect rainfall amounts in excess of 6 inches for a majority of the eastern counties. Along the coast, up to 12 inches of rain are expected.

Please take this storm seriously. Virginia officials are saying it could be as significant a storm as was Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Citizens may experience power outages that could last for days.

Begin preparing for the storm today. DO NOT WAIT!

Below are the Virginia Emergency Resources websites and information call in numbers:

For information on disaster preparations: http://www.vaemergency.gov/ready

For information on emergency kits, including recommended supplies, visit: http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/getakit

For updated news and reports regarding Irene, visit: http://www.vaemergency.gov/

For updated news and general information regarding Irene over the phone, dial: 211

Additional Important websites and emergency numbers:

- www.vaemergency.gov.
- www.redcross.org
- Dominion Virginia Power, 1.866.DOM.HELP
- Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative, 1.800.234.7832.
- Columbia Gas of Virginia, 1.800.544.5606.

The Virginia Evacuation Coordination Team for Operational Response, along with the Virginia Department of Transportation, has created preparedness videos on hurricane evacuations and emergency supplies that can be viewed at www.ReadyVirginia.gov.


You can also monitor current hurricane projections at:
- http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml.

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