VIRGINIA BEACH — Hurricane Florence strengthened to a Category 4 Monday, as the city works to prepare for the prospect of a major storm making landfall this week.
During a news conference Monday, City Manager Dave Hansen said it appears the city will likely be effected by this storm, and he has ordered shelters to open Thursday morning.
“The first tier of shelters will be Kellam High School, Old Donation, Corporate Landing Middle School, and a medical shelter at the Field House,” Hansen said.
The following shelters will be opened Friday morning:
- Landstown High School (2001 Concert Drive)
- Green Run High School (1700 Dahlia Drive)
- Tallwood High School (1668 Kempsville Road)
According to an email sent by Virginia Beach City Public Schools to parents, “all afternoon and evening activities and events will be cancelled for Wednesday, Sept. 12 to prepare for this,” referencing the three schools.
“In addition, all schools and administrative offices will be closed Thursday, Sept. 13,” according to the email.
In June 2017, the Commonwealth of Virginia introduced “tiered evacuation zones” to coastal Virginia. The designations address flood-prone areas, with the most at-risk areas designated “Zone A” and the least at-risk designated “Zone D.”
Hansen said residents in Zone A, as well as those in Sandbridge, Back Bay, and the Southern Watershed of the city, will likely be urged to evacuate, but did not specify when an announcement would be made.
Related story: This interactive tool allows you to ‘know your zone’ in the event of a storm
If asked to evacuate, residents may be directed to another zone or perhaps one of the shelters in Virginia Beach — but not necessarily outside of the city or Hampton Roads.
Residents can search their addresses and find their evacuation zone using this online tool. These new zones merely inform residents when, if, and where to evacuate, but do not change existing evacuation routes.
Jeff Orrock, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Wakefield, said Virginia Beach can likely expect tropical storm force winds to arrive late Wednesday or early Thursday, with winds increasing throughout Thursday.
https://www.facebook.com/NWSWakefieldVA/videos/263882314255391/
Although the storm’s possible impact on Virginia Beach remains unclear, Orrock said Hurricane Florence “will be a historic storm somewhere between our coast to North Carolina and possibly South Carolina. This is a dangerous storm and will impact a large region.”
By noon EDT on Monday, Florence had top sustained winds of 130 mph (195 kph). It was centered about 1,230 miles (1,985 kilometers) east-southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, and moving west at 13 mph (20 kph). Its center will move between Bermuda and the Bahamas Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach the coast of South Carolina or North Carolina on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
RELATED STORY: Navy directs Norfolk ships to ‘sortie’ ahead of Hurricane Florence. Here’s what that entails
