Officials urge residents to prepare for Hanna

AP
Published: September 5, 2008

STAFFORD – Northern Virginia residents have been put on notice that tropical storm is coming. Tropical Strom Hanna, now churning in the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, is moving north toward the coast of North Carolina where it could make landfall tonight as a weak hurricane. The National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the region.

Stafford County officials are urging residents of that county to prepare for the storm, telling residents now is the time to stock up on supplies and prepare for 2-4 inches of rainfall. The Stafford Fire and Rescue Department said it is also on notice and plans to provide updates to county administration staff and coordinate emergency supplies.

“Advance preparation will help people handle personal injury, possible evacuations and residential damage,” said Stafford Fire and Rescue Chief Rob Brown in a released statement. “Public safety personnel will be out responding to people in life and death situations. For that reason, all residents should be able to care for themselves, without any outside assistance, if these storms become significant events.”

Brown recommended organizing an emergency kit including water, canned food, batteries and a first aid kit in advance of the approaching storm.

In advance of the storm all Stafford County Public Schools activities for Saturday have been cancelled.

At 2 p.m. Friday the storm was located further east than earlier reported, now 310 miles south of Wilmington, N.C. moving north at 20 mph, according to the weather service. The storm is expected to make landfall late tonight near Wilmington and produce high winds and heavy rain throughout the day on Saturday.

Stafford officials also said they are tracking Hurricane Ike and Tropical Storm Josephine, the tropical storms behind Hanna which are moving toward the U.S. coastline, as potential threats.

On Thursday Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine issued a State of Emergency declaration for the commonwealth. His office said the measure would allow large trucks and emergency workers faster access to portions of the state that could be hit hard by the storm.

What to include in emergency kits:

• One gallon of water per person per day, including water for pets
• Canned or packaged food, and a manual can opener
• A battery-operated radio and flashlights with extra batteries
• First aid kit
• A portable tool kit with a utility knife and duct tape
• Prescription medications, toiletries
• Extra bedding or sleeping bags
• Special items for infants, the elderly and disabled members of the household
• Important documents, insurance policies, cash and credit cards in waterproof containers
• Duffle bags or backpacks to transport these items in case you must evacuate

Source: Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department