Hurricane Erin is making its way up the eastern seaboard, prompting states of emergency and mandatory evacuations in North Carolina and regional preparations for tropical storm-force winds and major flooding.
Crews in Virginia Beach were out Tuesday securing items and clearing drains, and Dominion Energy trucks already were stationed ahead of potential power outages and downed trees. Storm-driven waves were crossing the main road in the southern Outer Banks, and North Carolina opened an emergency shelter for those who fled.
The hurricane is not expected to make landfall, but meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Wakefield said Tuesday some outer bands may clip the eastern portions of Hampton Roads on Wednesday evening and into Thursday. This could bring localized areas of heavy rain and stronger winds, including north to northeast gusts 40 to 45 mph near the coast.
Areas in the lower Chesapeake Bay could experience “major” flooding, especially in areas near Lynnhaven Inlet in Virginia Beach, said Eswar Iyer, a lead NWS meteorologist.
The brunt of the storm is expected to affect the area Thursday, said Virginia Beach Director of Emergency Management Dave Topczynski as he briefed the City Council on preparations Tuesday.
Renee McKinnon, deputy director of the Virginia Beach’s emergency management, said the city’s response preparation spans across multiple departments. She said “enhanced monitoring” is underway at the Oceanfront, where forecasters said wind speeds will likely top 40 mph, and crews have begun removing banners and signs ahead of the gusts.
“Basically, instead of having the large footprint, how can we make it smaller as we anticipate this storm coming in,” McKinnon said.
Outer Banks officials on Tuesday morning urged any remaining visitors and residents on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands to evacuate, with minor ocean overwash flooding already beginning in Buxton with the morning’s high tide. No mandatory evacuations were ordered in the Outer Banks north of Oregon Inlet, but Currituck County officials urged visitors on four-wheel drive beaches north of Corolla to leave.
The Outer Banks is under a tropical storm watch and a storm surge watch.
Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson said Tuesday the Outer Banks expects life-threatening storm surge, waves up to 20 feet and impassable road conditions as the storm passes close to Cape Hatteras.
In Virginia Beach, Topczynski said Sandbridge residents are not being asked to evacuate, but the city provided preparedness messages to property managers. He said the public works department is checking drains, and preparing to close Windsor Woods tide gates, if necessary. Town Center parking garages will be made available Wednesday through Friday for residents.
“We don’t want to let our guard down,” he said.
Residents are advised to secure lightweight objects, boats, canoes or other objects that could move during high winds. McKinnon said community members may want to double check gas levels on vehicles or generators in case of downed power lines. Important documents like birth certificates, insurance documents and social security cards should also be kept in a safe location.
Virginia Beach residents can sign up for VBAlerts ahead of severe weather by texting vbalert to 67283.
As North Carolina officials made their final pleas for people to evacuate, they said Route 12 — the main artery through the Outer Banks — could be inundated for several days and those trapped would be beyond the help of emergency services
In a social media post, the N.C. Ferry Division said the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferries had shuttled 1,810 people and 866 vehicles off the island as of 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Cherise Newsome, a spokesperson for Dominion Energy, said the provider expects some outages due to Hurricane Erin, mainly Thursday.
“We’re particularly watching for flooding, which can soak the ground, causing trees to fall onto power poles and power lines,” Newsome said. “Flooding also poses a risk to on-ground equipment like transformers.”
Dominion crews are stocking their bucket trucks with supplies and equipment most at risk from hurricane damage, such as conductors for power lines and cross arms for power poles, which are typically found in neighborhoods. Since trees could knock down power poles that need to be re-set, Dominion crews are also stationing specialized equipment, such as auger trucks, closest to the regions expected to get hit the hardest.
Newsome said crews are focusing mainly on wind in Virginia Beach, and northeast North Carolina, including the Outer Banks, eastern Elizabeth City and eastern Albemarle. Dominion Energy is also monitoring Norfolk, Chesapeake, the Peninsula and the Gloucester area for similar impacts.
Staff reporter Stacy Parker contributed to this report.
Eliza Noe, [email protected]