The City of Wilmington is taking precautions as Hurricane Irene bears down on the region. Mayor James M. Baker (D) declared a State of Emergency in Wilmington today at 2 p.m. The declaration includes a mandatory evacuation of southeast section of the city that borders the Christina River. This section of Wilmington historically has had flooding issue during significant rain events.
“We know from past storms and other heavy rain and wind situations that the southeast area of Wilmington, because it sits in a floodplain, does experience higher than normal water levels and we have not experience a storm like this in many many years,” said John Rago, Mayor Baker’s Director of Communications and Policy Development, “So, we just had to make a public safety call.”
The nearly 3,000 citizens who live in this section will need to evacuate by 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. For those who have no where to go, Red Cross shelters have been established at the WIlliam Penn High School on Basin road and the Middletown High School. The Middletown High School has accommodations specifically for pets.
The section of the city is within Vandever Avenue, Northeast Boulevard, Church Street, Front Street, and South Market Street.
Click here to see the map of the mandatory evacuation zone (PDF).
Rago says there are other areas of the city know for flooding that officials will keep an eye on as Wilmington begins to feel Irene’s effects, including Union Street and Pennsylvania Ave. in Little Italy and Greenhill Ave. just off Fourth Street. He believes most who live in those areas are also aware of them.
“Most people know where they are because they’ve had to deal with them in past storms,” said Rago. “We’re asking them to draw on that experience and be mindful that the water is going to rise rapidly because of the amount of rain that’s going to fall over a long period of time.”
