The US Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Hampton Roads, Virginia has suspended port operations and ordered the port to close. This was decided in order to prepare for Hurricane Florence. In addition, Hampton Roads are under Condition Zulu, which means that gale-force winds are expected.
Moreover, Wilmington and Morehead City in North Carolina hare also under Condition Zulu, and they have closed their gates to truck traffic. The ports will be closed from Thursday until Friday.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
Hurricane Florence is now a Category 3 storm, however US’s National Hurricane Center warns that it still is a dangerous major hurricane. Florence is expected to slow down when it closes on the coast, while it will dump more than 5 inches of rain over a broad area and over 10 inches in isolated areas.
What is more, the US Navy has established an emergency evacuation order for active-duty and civilian personnel in Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads. This also includes the world’s largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk.
Namely, the evacuation authorization applies to personnel in Hampton Roads and in Virginia Zone A, an area covering waterfront areas along the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore region.
As of now, 1.7 million people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation warnings, while four million live in areas covered by hurricane watches and warnings.
