1100 Hours, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009: A major coastal storm energized by the remnants of what was once Hurricane Ida continues to creep along the Eastern Seaboard at this hour, and promises to lash Sussex County over the next two days with heavy rains, rough surf, significant beach erosion and moderate to severe flooding in low-lying areas.

The National Weather Service in Mt. Holly, N.J., has issued a high wind warning until 6 a.m. Friday and a coastal flood warning until 11 p.m. Friday for the immediate Sussex County coastline; meantime, a wind advisory is posted for inland areas until 6 a.m. Friday. Strong, persistent northeasterly winds gusting as high as 55 mph, along with moderate to severe flooding in low-lying areas near the Inland Bays, Delaware Bay, and Nanticoke River, are expected.

Forecasts call for tides to run approximately 2 to 4 feet above normal over the next several tide cycles. High tide at the Breakwater Harbor in Lewes will be at 4:56 p.m. Thursday, 5:32 a.m. Friday, and 5:51 p.m. Friday; at Indian River Inlet, high tide will occur at 4:39 p.m. Thursday, 5:13 a.m. Friday, and 5:31 p.m. Friday. Along the Nanticoke River, at nearby Sharptown, Md., high tide will occur at 1:35 p.m. Thursday, 1:51 a.m. Friday, and 2:31 p.m. Friday.

Additionally, forecasters are predicting the storm will drop as much as 5 inches of new rainfall, on top of the approximately 2 inches that have already fallen.

The staff at the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center in Georgetown is monitoring the storm and the latest forecasts, and officials urge the public to be mindful of changing conditions and prepared to take action, if necessary

“This could become a very serious situation, especially if the public is not paying attention and not taking the appropriate safeguards to protect themselves,” EOC Director Joseph Thomas said. “This system is going to knock us around for quite a while, and it’s the duration that has us concerned about coastal flooding, especially in communities like Oak Orchard and around the Inland Bays.

“We could be looking at flooding lasting through the next three to five high tides,” Mr. Thomas said. “On top of that, heavy rains could cause road flooding, and high winds could topple trees and cause power outages. This storm has the potential to cause a multitude of problems and inflict significant damage.”

So far, the storm’s greatest effect has been significant beach erosion, Mr. Thomas said. “We received a report this morning that water was still up to the dune lines at Rehoboth Beach, five hours after the morning high tide,” he said. As for other effects, Mr. Thomas said there are no road closures at the moment and only a handful of scattered power outages. Mr. Thomas said he expects that to change as the storm lingers throughout the day and into Friday.

No evacuations have been ordered, but Mr. Thomas said emergency planners can activate sheltering if conditions warrant.

Mr. Thomas encouraged the public to avoid traveling, if possible, but noted that if driving is necessary motorists should never drive through flooded roadways and should never approach downed power lines. Instead, residents should immediately report flooded roadways and downed power lines to the proper authorities.

For a list of road closures, visit the Delaware Department of Transportation Web site at www.deldot.gov. To view a map of power outages in Sussex County, visit Delmarva Power’s Web site at www.delmarva.com and the Delaware Electric Cooperative’s Web site at www.delaware.coop.

The Sussex County EOC requests that residents and property owners with photographs of flooding or other storm damage send them through the County Web site. Visit sussexcountyde.gov to upload storm images.

For updates, stay tuned to local television and radio stations, and the Sussex County EOC Web site, at sussexcountyde.gov/emergency-preparedness. Members of the public who have questions regarding this information should contact the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center at (302) 855-7801.

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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) 854-5000.