1000 Hours, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011: The first effects of Hurricane Irene are beginning to spiral into Sussex County and the mid-Atlantic region this Saturday morning, and conditions will quickly deteriorate throughout the day and into this evening as the storm rakes coastal states from North Carolina to Maine with torrential rains, high winds and extreme tidal flooding.
A hurricane warning remains in effect for all of Sussex County. The storm, as of 8 a.m. Saturday, had sustained winds of 85 mph and was located along the North Carolina coast, moving to the NNE at 14 mph. That trend is expected to continue, with little to no strengthening expected.
Forecasters expect gradual weakening of the storm between landfall today and Sunday morning, as the storm makes its way along the Delaware coast. However, conditions are expected to remain at Category 1 force for Sussex County throughout most of the event, with sustained winds expected between 60 mph to 80 mph, as much as 12 inches of rain, and a storm surge of 3 to 6 feet along the Atlantic and Delaware Bay coastlines.
“As the day goes on, the conditions are going to go downhill very quickly,” said Joseph L. Thomas, director of the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center. “This is the calm before the storm, so now is when everyone should be in place and prepared to ride this out for the long haul.”
Light to moderate rain has been falling across Sussex County since shortly after sunrise, and winds are beginning to pick up to about 15 mph, particularly along the immediate coastline. Conditions will rapidly worsen, with the most severe effects of the storm expected between sunset today and sunrise Sunday morning.
A state of emergency remains in effect in Delaware, and evacuations of vulnerable areas from Slaughter Beach to Fenwick Island were to be completed by 9 a.m. today. “If you are still in the designated evacuation area and you haven’t left, this is ‘zero hour’,” Mr. Thomas added. “If you plan to move, your window of opportunity is quickly closing. Go now.”
Evacuation routes, including Del. Route 1, US 113, US 13 and the east-west arteries, remain open this morning. Traffic, so far, has been light.
In Sussex County, the identified evacuation 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 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.
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 the National Weather Service at https://www.weather.gov/phi/, and the Delaware Department of Transportation at www.deldot.gov for the latest updates.
For storm-related concerns or questions, the public should 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.