Forecast models put the State of Delaware right along the expected path of Hurricane Irene as it moves up the East Coast this weekend.
With that prediction in mind, Delaware Governor Jack Markell (D) and officials with the Delaware Emergency Management Agency are urging those who have plans to visit the First State this weekend to postpone them because weather conditions “will not allow safe travel and lodging in the beach areas and possibly throughout other areas of the state.” Markell and state officials are also urging those currently vacationing at Delaware’s beaches to leave now while roads and bridges are safe.
So far, no evacuations have been ordered, but state officials are examining evacuation possibilities for coastal and flood prone areas.
Sussex County officials are already well into its preparations for the storm and its effects based on forecasts that place Hurricane Irene’s current predicted track close enough to give Sussex County the strongest effects of the storm, with tidal flooding likely in low-lying areas, particularly along the oceanfront, Inland Bays and the Delaware Bay shoreline. Even though no evacuations have been ordered, but Sussex County officials are warning residents to be ready.
“This is a very dangerous storm we’re facing, and it looks more like a certainty than a possibility,” said Joseph L. Thomas, director of Sussex County Emergency Operations Center. “The public needs to take this threat seriously, and residents, property owners and visitors should be moving into action now to prepare themselves and their property.”
- You can find more information on Hurricane Irene and preparations for the storm in Delaware at the following sites:
- Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA)
- DEMA’s Disaster Preparedness
- NOAA Watches, Warnings and Advisories
- NOAA Hurricane Irene Watch
- Hurricanes and Floods: Emergency Management
- Sussex County Storm Information
- PrepareDE: Hurricane Preparedness
