1730 Hours, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008: Tropical Storm Hanna has spared Sussex County from any major damage as it moves up the East Coast, at worst knocking down trees limbs and disrupting power to a few thousand customers in pockets of the county.

The Sussex County Emergency Operations Center continues to monitor the storm, which will directly pass over Sussex County in the next hour. Periods of heavy rain and some gusty winds still are possible into this evening, but the worst of the storm appears to have already occurred or remained to the north and west.

“We have been very fortunate today, and we’ve fared better than what the forecast called for 24 hours ago,” EOC Director Joseph L. Thomas said. “We have not had any reports of serious damage or flooding, nothing more than some sporadic tree limbs down and power outages. And I think once these last bands of rain move out and the center passes over, conditions should really begin to improve.”

Damage has been limited because wind speeds and rainfall have not been as severe as had been anticipated. The highest wind gust was approximately 40 mph, recorded in the coastal area earlier today. Meantime, rainfall has been limited to less than 2 inches – well short of the 4 to 6 inches originally predicted.

Crews from Delmarva Power and the Delaware Electric Cooperative have worked throughout the day to restore service to the estimated 3,000 customers who have lost power in the county. Only a few hundred customers remain without service at this time.

While the weather forecast for Sunday calls for clear skies and warm temperatures, rip currents are expected to remain strong along Delaware’s coast. Swimming is not advised. Surf conditions will be rough and many area beach patrols either have limited staffs or have ended coverage for the season.

The Sussex County EOC encourages residents and visitors to continue monitoring the storm this evening as it moves to the northeast. For updates, stay tuned to local television and radio stations, and the Sussex County EOC Web site, at sussexcountyde.gov/services/storm. The public should also monitor the National Weather Service, at https://www.weather.gov/phi/, for the latest forecast.

County residents and visitors are urged to call 911 only in emergencies. Those with storm-related calls – to report downed trees or power lines, flooding or power outages – can call the EOC’s non-emergency telephone line at (302) 856-6306.

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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.