City of Danville departments are mobilizing in preparation for the remnants of Hurricane Ian, which are expected to arrive on Friday morning and bring periods of moderate to heavy rain and sustained winds of 15-25 mph, with gusts of 30-35 mph, for much of the weekend.
The periods of rain could lead to flash flooding and river flooding. The wind could cause isolated power outages, downed trees, and road closures.
A storm preparation guide is available to all Danville Utilities customers at https://danvilleutilities.com/stormguide.pdf. This guide provides information on how to update customer account numbers, prepare a disaster supply kit, and what to do in the event of a loss of power or water.
Danville Utilities line crews, tree crews, engineering staff and dispatch operators will be on call through the weekend. Also, contract crews will be on standby, and on Friday, line crews from Ohio will arrive in Danville to assist as needed.
Danville Public Works crews will also be on standby. Crews this week have been topping off fuel sites, fueling all City vehicles and equipment, and preparing water pumps for flood prone streets and digital message boards for traffic alerts.
Governor Glenn Youngkin yesterday declared a State of Emergency in advance of Hurricane Ian. The State of Emergency allows the Commonwealth to mobilize resources and pre-deploy equipment needed for response and recovery efforts. This includes resources from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Health, Virginia National Guard, and others.
As of noon today, the National Hurricane Center listed Ian as a tropical storm located offshore near Georgia and South Carolina. However, Virginia emergency management officials say it is possible that Ian can regain hurricane strength.
“This storm has already demonstrated it is extremely dangerous,” said Erin Sutton, chief deputy of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. “This is going to be a statewide event, with significant rainfall across the state.”
Computer models are not in agreement on the path and timing of Ian’s trek toward Virginia. Residents and visitors are urged to monitor the latest forecasts.
What should residents and visitors be doing now:
- Pay attention to the development of Hurricane Ian.
- Maintain a kit of enough provisions to sustain all residents in a home for at least 72 hours. These kits should include: a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, flashlight, extra batteries, food that does not need refrigeration, a non-electric can opener (if kit contains canned food), bottled water, first aid kit, prescription medication or other individual needs, and copies of important family documents such as insurance policies and identification.
- Consider what unique needs your family might have, such as prescription medications, supplies for pets and additional needs for infants or seniors.
- Make sure family members, friends and neighbors are prepared for an extended weather event.
Additional information can be found at https://www.vaemergency.gov/threats/hurricanes/ or by downloading the Danville Utilities storm preparation guide at https://danvilleutilities.com/stormguide.pdf.
Danville residents and visitors can sign up for weather alerts by email and text at www.danvilleva.gov and should monitor local media reports or the following web pages and social media feeds from the National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center, Storm Prediction Center and Weather Prediction Center:
- Facebook: www.fb.com/NWSBlacksburg
- Twitter: @NWSBlacksburg
- National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov
- NWS Blacksburg web page: www.weather.gov/blacksburg
- or mobile.weather.gov
- Storm Prediction Center: www.spc.noaa.gov
- Weather Prediction Center: www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov