1600 Hours, Monday, Oct. 19, 2009: The Sussex County Emergency Operations Center is asking for the public’s help in providing photographs of flooding or any other effects from the fall season’s first round of coastal storms this past weekend.

EOC Director Joseph L. Thomas announced Monday, Oct. 19, that residents can now send their storm photos through the County website for emergency planners and National Weather Service forecasters to review. Simply go to www.sussexcountyde.gov to upload your images.

“These days, everyone has a digital camera or a picture phone that can capture in an instant what’s going on right in front of them,” Mr. Thomas said. “The public can and does serve as an invaluable resource in events such as these, giving emergency officials on-the-ground observations. Certainly someone out there has pictures of this weekend’s storms, and we would encourage them to share with us what they saw. That helps us to better plan for future weather events.”

Two separate storm systems, both nor’easters, moved through Delaware this past weekend, bringing with them gusty winds and causing minor to moderate tidal flooding along Sussex County’s oceanfront and Inland Bays, particularly during high tide cycles. However, no serious damage or injuries were reported.

Mr. Thomas said he hopes to use the new storm photos feature for future weather events.

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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.