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Emergency responders in our region watch Hurricane Ian's movements, prepare for storm

Beach
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HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Right now emergency responders in our region are watching the movements of Hurricane Ian.

News 3 traveled to the Outer Banks on Tuesday to talk to people about storm preparation.

There is currently a beach nourishment project happening in Kitty Hawk.

According to the Dare County website, seven cities and towns are scheduled to have this kind of work done in 2022.

Some of the work is completed, while others haven’t started.

Approximately 3.97 miles of shoreline from the Southern Shores/Kitty Hawk town line to the Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills line at a construction cost of $9,638,244, according to the website.

Each of the seven locations has similar work being done.

The purpose is to preserve the beach and protect it from erosion.

Beachgoers we spoke with appreciate the nourishment projects.

One man said, “I think it’s awesome they’re taking care of this and looking out for the homeowners here.”

He said they were visiting from the Mid-West and told News 3 he was originally worried about Hurricane Fiona when he arrived for his week-long vacation.

The nourishment project is also benefiting business owners like Vilai Hammock. She and her husband own Vilai Thai Kitchen in Kitty Hawk.

The restaurant is close to the ocean. They said in years past during storms the water was all the way up into their restaurant and there were even fish in the parking lot.

They said it can be very tough to live in the area and run when a business when there are serious storms.

They said they have been there for 12 years.

“We try to prepare and be safe,” said Hammock.

Emergency management leaders across the area are watching very closely to see what happens with the storm including the city of Norfolk.

Jim Redick is the Emergency Preparedness & Response Director for the City of Norfolk.

“We’re still in peak hurricane season this year. We’re not through this yet. It ends in November but even then storms can still hit our area,” said Redick.

NOAA reports in 2021, $145 billion was spent on weather disasters, making this the third most costly year on record behind 2017 and 2005.

Redick encouraged people to know what evacuation zone.

“We’re watching what the meteorologists are saying. Our plans are pretty solid and the teams in place so whatever comes our way, we’re going to be ready to respond,” said Redick.

Information from the City of Virginia Beach:

For Virginia Beach, it is still too early to predict with any certainty the timing, location or magnitude of any potential impacts of Hurricane Ian. But, the Office of Emergency Management is closely monitoring the situation and city crews are prepared to act to ensure our community is as ready as it can be.

Public Works Operations has been meeting and crews are preparing for a number of scenarios. In the next 24 to 48 hours, when there is greater certainty about the storm’s track and strength, we should have a clearer picture of what needs to be done.

For now, they are monitoring developments and have crews checking on and vacuuming stormwater drains, pump stations, ditches and drainage ponds, as well as low-lying and flood-prone areas.

Though our risk of severe impacts is low, now is a good time to make sure your emergency kit is ready to go, you’re registered for VBAlerts, have created a Smart911 profile for your household and you know your evacuation zone. Residents are encouraged to click here for more information.

Information from the City of Hampton:

Emergency Management is monitoring the storm and sending out regular updates to all departments.

Departments have all trained/retrained staff on access to the emergency management incident reporting system.

They are all making sure supplies are updated and ready to go.

They encourage the public to know your zone in case an evacuation is recommended or ordered. Remember you don’t have to go far; if only A zone should evacuate, see if you have a friend on higher ground.

Check your hurricane kit, which you should update every season. Things like food you can eat in a power outage, flashlights, water, etc. See ready.gov

Check prescriptions to ensure that you can make it through an evacuation or power outage.

If you are in an area that floods regularly, you will want to watch the updates closely.

Keep your car topped off with gas.

The City of Portsmouth said they have crews out in the field checking storm pumps and drainage systems. They said Emergency Management leaders are speaking at the city council meeting Tuesday night to talk about storm preps.