2000 Hours, Friday, Aug. 26, 2011: The evacuation of Sussex County’s most vulnerable areas is continuing this Friday evening as Hurricane Irene, now a slightly weaker but still very dangerous storm, remains on a collision course with the eastern United States, including Sussex County and the rest of Delaware.
Evacuation routes, including Del. Route 1, US 113, US 13 and the east-west arteries, have been busy throughout the day with residents and visitors making their way out of at-risk areas, particularly along the Atlantic and Delaware Bay coastlines. Traffic appears to be flowing smoothly at this hour, with the evacuation set to last into Saturday morning.
“If there is any silver lining in what has otherwise been some rather bleak news, it’s that the public appears to be taking the threat very seriously,” said Joseph L. Thomas, director of the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center. “We think they’ve received the message loud and clear.”
Gov. Jack Markell has ordered that everyone be out of the identified evacuation zone by 9 a.m. Saturday. In Sussex, the zone includes the communities of Slaughter Beach, Prime Hook, Broadkill Beach, Long Neck and Oak Orchard, as well along the Del. Route 1 corridor, including the areas in and around Lewes Beach, Henlopen Acres, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, North Bethany, Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island. This applies to areas that historically are flood-prone. A map of the evacuation zone is posted on the County website, at sussexcountyde.gov.
Meantime, Sussex County and State emergency planners have designated three shelters for those evacuating coastal communities and flood-prone areas in advance of Hurricane Irene. The shelters are now open to the public.
As capacity is limited, these shelters should be used as a means of last resort. Residents and visitors evacuating from at-risk areas are encouraged to seek refuge with family or friends elsewhere, if possible. The shelters are:
Beacon Middle School
19482 John J. Williams Highway
Lewes, DE
Indian River H. S.
29772 Armory Road
Dagsboro, DE
(Pets Accepted)
Milford High School
1019 N. Walnut St.
Milford, DE
(Pets Accepted)
Those visiting a shelter should remember to take adequate clothing, medications, sleeping materials, and food for themselves, their families and/or their pets (where accepted). Shelters will be staffed by the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula.
A hurricane warning remains in effect for Sussex County. Forecasters do not expect Sussex County to sustain a direct hit from the eye of the storm, with the center expected to pass just to the east, perhaps by about 20 or 30 miles. However, winds of at least 75 mph or more are expected across the county throughout the event, with gusts to100 mph possible. The storm is expected to be at its peak between midnight Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday.
Meantime, the storm is forecast to create a surge of 3 to 6 feet of water along the oceanfront, Delaware Bay and Inland Bays, with lesser surge amounts along Chesapeake Bay tributaries, including the Nanticoke River. The storm is also expected to kick up waves of 12 to 16 feet in the surf zone, and dump as much as 7 to 10 inches of rain.
The Sussex County EOC encourages residents and visitors to continue monitoring the tropics and conditions as they deteriorate. For updates, stay tuned to local media, the Sussex County EOC website at sussexcountyde.gov/emergency-preparedness, and the County’s Twitter feeds at twitter.com/sussexde_govt and twitter.com/sussexctyde_eoc. The public should also monitor https://www.weather.gov/phi/ and www.deldot.gov for the latest weather and traffic updates.
For more information, members of the public can call the Sussex County EOC’s storm line at (302) 856-7366.
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Media calls should be directed to EOC spokeswoman Debra Jones at (302) 855-7801 or Sussex County Chief of Public Information Chip Guy at (302) 858-0505.