Weather or Not
Richmonders especially Shockoe Bottom residents and business owners are relieved Saturday morning that their waiting game didn't turn into another wading game.
Richmond missed the brunt of Tropical Depression's Ernesto's remnants, which tracked east of the River City, and the flash flooding that went along with it.
More than 100,000 Richmond area Dominion customers - and more than 300,000 throughout Virginia - lost power during the storm, crashes littered area roads and tree limbs coated streets and yards, but in the end, most of Richmond received less than 4 inches of rain.
Virginia Beach received about 10 inches of rain, and in Gloucester County, two people died when a tree crashed into their house. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency for Virginia on Thursday, a move that allowed for the deployment of Virginia National Guard personnel and other assistance in preparation for Ernesto.
"I urge Virginians to take common-sense precautions: make sure you have food, water, and medications to last at least three days," Kaine said in a press statement. "Be sure to monitor local broadcast stations for weather updates and other critical information, and be alert for flash flooding and tornadoes." City orders evacuation of Battery Park area On Friday afternoon, the city of Richmond issued a mandatory evacuation for residents of approximately 246 homes and apartment buildings in the Battery Park area, according to a city news release.
Residents of homes located between the 1600 block of Fendall Ave, W. Fritz Street to W. Fells Street, W. Fells Street to School Street between Hickory Street and Cotton Street, and Tyler Street to Brookfield Street and Brookfield Street to Roane Street are under mandatory evacuation. Additionally, the area between Yancey Street to Wickham Street, Fendall Avenue to Rose Street and W. Roberts Street to Wickham Street has been evacuated. Police officers are notifying these residents to evacuate their homes immediately, as a proactive public health measure.
The release said that major flooding had occurred at the Battery Park tennis and basketball courts.
"Public safety is our top priority. Due to rising flood levels and a sanitary sewer break in the School Street vicinity, I am ordering this mandatory evacuation," said Mayor L. Douglas Wilder. "We do not want to waste a moment in protecting the health and well-being of our citizens due to this situation."
The city has opened an emergency shelter at the Arthur Ashe Center, located at 3017 N. Boulevard next to The Diamond. Bus transportation to the shelter is available at the North Avenue/Poe Street intersection, as well as Chamberlayne Avenue and School Street. Residents are advised to bring enough clothes, medication, identification and any necessary personal items with them.
Through a partnership with the American Red Cross , the Central Virginia Food Bank will provide dinner for the displaced residents at 4 p.m. Friday. The shelter is preparing to serve between 200 and 300 residents.
Saturday, the Red Cross will serve breakfast and the Food Bank will prepare lunch if needed.
Pets are not allowed at the Ashe Center. Animal Care and Control officers will be at the North Avenue/Poe Street pickup location to take pets for temporary safekeeping with the city during the evacuation period.
Citizens are encouraged to call (804) 646-HELP for more information.
Late Thursday, the city's department of public utilities located a sewer line break that is creating the rising flood levels at Battery Park, the release said. Crews are in the area working to remedy the situation as quickly as possible and to pump out stormwater from the Battery Park courts. However, rising flood levels may create a sewer back-up in homes in that area. Power outages in Richmond area As of 2:48 Friday afternoon, Virginia Dominion Power reported that 102,834 Dominion customers were without power in the Richmond Metropolitan/Tri Cities area. Dominion has more than 467,000 customers in the region.
To report outages or downed power lines, Dominion asks its customers to call 1-888-667-3000. The company urges citizens to stay away from downed power lines, which can be extremely dangerous.
Dominion first attends to outages affecting emergency facilities and critical infrastructure, as well as locations that can return service to the largest number of customers, according to its Web site. Few glitches at RIC Despite the weather, there have been few cancelations or delays at Richmond International Airport. As of 2:45 Friday afternoon, there have been two cancellations and two delays for departing flights. As for arrivals, there have been five delays and two cancelations.
"The weather's impacted us to some extent, but, at the same time, I'm watching planes come and go," said Troy Bell , director of marketing and air services development at the airport. "It's not a perfect flying day, but given the weather conditions, we're weathering the storm pretty well." The Bottom stays on its toes After the flash flooding that occurred in Shockoe Bottom two weeks ago, several business owners jumped into proactive mode and spent most of Thursday afternoon making preparations for the approaching storm.
At Bottoms Up Pizza on Dock Street, which recently celebrated its two-year anniversary of being reopened after the Gaston flood destroyed most of the business, general manager Charles Lichter spent the day moving perishables to the second floor and planning for the worst.
"You would be a fool to not be nervous," he said. "We have the Weather Channel on and we have started making some contingency plans."
Besides moving product to higher ground, Lichter said he and several other employees are going to come down to the restaurant at 6 a.m. Friday to assess the situation and, if flooding begins, start moving furniture and other equipment upstairs.
"We learned a lot from Gaston," Lichter said. "We had eight hours before the water rose. It went from 3 feet in the street to 10 in half an hour but it was at about 2 to 3 feet for about six to eight hours earlier in the day. This is potentially a very similar circumstance to what Gaston had been."
Just down the street near the 17th Street Farmers' Market , Tommy Goulding , owner of Rosie Connolly's Pub Restaurant , is also taking a wait-and-see approach but said all the talk about the storm is making him nervous as well.
"It makes you nervous every time you flip on the TV," he said, "and I try not to watch the TV as much now because, and I am not going to say that it is wrong, but it is all panicky stuff every time you look at it and it makes you nervous."
Goulding said while he plans on staying open tonight until the usual 2 a.m. closing time, he will most likely spend the night in his bar to see what happens.
"I will probably stay here all night," he said "If it starts getting bad, I will be able to move all of my computers. Then I have got my big screen TV and if it starts getting bad I can start moving that a little bit. But other than that, the refrigeration and all of the other stuff will just have to go. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best." Public safety taking shape
- Hermitage High School, located at 8301 Hungary Spring Road, has been designated a shelter in Henrico County. Bedding will not be provided and pets are not allowed. Call (804) 501-7800 for more information.
The Richond Police Department told Richmond.com that they're prepared for possible flooding scenarios and that they will have extra officers on hand.
However, UR's Tyler Hanes Commons and the Heilman Dining Center are open and operating as usual. For further updates, call the university's emergency hotline at (804) 289-8760.
In addition, J. Sargeant Reynolds closed at 10 a.m. Friday and several local public and private schools were also closed. (For a complete list of school closings, click here ). Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Medical Center are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Ernesto, although as of 10:20 a.m. Friday, VCU and VCU Medical Center were operating on a regular work and academic schedule.
"We do have an emergency preparedness plan that covers both campuses," said Pamela DiSalvo Lepley , VCU spokesperson. "We're obviously in a state of paying attention to what's going on."
On Thursday, VCU posted the following on its Alert page, www.vcu.edu/alert: "We are prepared to implement these [emergency] plans should conditions warrant. Facilities Management Division will take proactive steps which include checking and cleaning of street and roof drains, ensuring all of the various sump pumps are operational, and preparing to sandbag around areas that might experience flooding.
"Additionally, Physical Plant personnel will be placed in an 'on call' status with a skeleton response crew prepared to spend nights on campus."
Even if the university canceled classes, VCU Medical Center would remain open. Lepley said the hospital has undergone several improvements since Tropical Storm Gaston flooded the Shockoe Bottom and Downtown area two years ago, including housing generators in a dry location so the hospital will have backup power.
The hospital could also have to make arrangements for employees to spend the night near VCU Medical Center to ensure staffing remains at an appropriate level.
Lepley said VCU could also ask employees to not only move computers and other equipment out of building basements, but also to move such materials away from windows that could leak during heavy rains.
Students, faculty and staff can call VCU's inclement weather hotline at (804) 828-6736 for school closing information, or visit VCU Alert online for more emergency updates.
| Related Stories: Shelter from the Storm The city of Richmond has proposed a sheltering plan for Hampton Roads evacuees, should a hurricane displace them. Emergency Declaration Passes After a fiery finger pointing session, City Council unanimously approves Wilder's declaration of emergency. Tackling Shockoe's Problem The city announces a new $20 million flood mitigation plan. |
- German School Road
Overbrook between Montrose and Tazewell
5200 block of Riverside
Overbrook between Tazewell and Hawthorne
Williamsburg Road & Main Street
Water and Ashe
School Street between Chamberlayne Avenue and Fendall
Fritz from Chamberlayne and Fendall
Intersection of Roane Street School
"These conditions can create a dangerous situation for motorists by greatly limiting visibility," said Martha M. Meade , public and government affairs manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "Particularly in these conditions, motorists must be cognizant of the hazards associated with wet weather driving and being out during a flash flood watch. The most important steps to take when driving in wet weather are to buckle up, slow down, and put your headlights and wipers on."
AAA Mid-Atlantic recommends the following precautions for navigating in heavy rain, reduced visibility and slick pavement:
- Go slowly: Slow down and increase following distances. Speed limits are set for ideal road conditions. When it rains, visibility is reduced and braking distances increase.
Light up: Use low-beam headlights to help others see your car and increase your visibility. Remember Virginia law requires headlights to be on when windshield wipers are in use.
Be careful of standing and running water: As little as six inches of water on a road can cause most drivers to lose control of their vehicle. Nearly half of all people who die in flash floods are in cars and have underestimated the power of flood waters or have not acted quickly enough to escape.
Be a follower: Driving in the tracks of other vehicles can improve traction and help avoid hydroplaning.
Listen to the experts: Heed the warnings of emergency officials and do not attempt to drive on closed roads or into evacuated areas.
When you can't see: If visibility and driving conditions are poor, turn on your emergency flashers and get to a safe place if possible a rest stop or parking lot. If your visibility is compromised, other drivers may be struggling too. In high winds, choose a spot away from trees and power lines. If the side of the road is the only option, pull off as far as possible and consider finding a safe place to stand behind a guard rail or twice as far from the road as you think is safe.
Use your wipers: Turn on windshield wipers as soon as rain begins to fall. Set intermittent wipers to a speed that will clear the windshield well enough to prevent visibility from being compromised.
Keep it clear: Use your defroster with your air conditioning to keep the air dry and prevent windows from fogging.
Be prepared: Carry a cell phone and make sure it is charged. Have the telephone numbers of family or friends handy to call for help if necessary. AAA members can dial 1-800-AAA-HELP for emergency road service.
Windshield wipers: Make sure the wipers work correctly and the rubber blades are in good condition.
Lights: Check to ensure your headlights and taillights are functioning properly. A missing light can mean much poorer visibility in foggy conditions and on unfamiliar, unlit roads.
Check your tires: Properly inflated tires help improve traction on the road.
Brakes: Test your brakes periodically to make sure they are in proper working order. Just because they work under normal conditions doesn't mean they will react the same on slippery roads, where tires roll with far less traction.
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