Hurricane Florence: Fairfax County Urges Residents To Prepare

FAIRFAX, VA—Fairfax County urges residents to prepare immediately for potential impacts of Hurricane Florence, which is expected to approach the East Coast on Thursday. The storm is currently a category 4 hurricane and could strengthen further. The National Hurricane Center anticipates it will be an extremely dangerous hurricane through Thursday.

The hurricane could make landfall in North Carolina but has implications of life-threatening storm surge along the Atlantic coast and heavy rain and flooding hundreds of miles from the storm's center. In Fairfax County and elsewhere in the DC region, already swelling creeks and streams set the stage for additional flooding. According to the county, the area could get 4 to 8 inches of rain from late Thursday to early Friday. The threat of flooding could continue into the weekend and early next week as floodwaters from the north and west of the county move.

The center of the hurricane will move over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach North Carolina on Thursday. It could make landfall early Friday morning on the coast of North Carolina. Mandatory evacuations have already been ordered in coastal parts of Virginia and the Carolinas.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Update: Florence Prompts Mandatory Evacuation In VA

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The National Hurricane Center urges residents from the Mid-Atlantic to South Carolina to follow local officials' tips to prepare for Florence. Fairfax County offers the following tips to prepare now:

• Make sure your gutters and downspouts are clear of debris and that water flows away from your home.
• If you live in an area prone to flooding or have had flooding in the past, take precautions to move valuables from the basement; at least move items off the floor onto higher shelves if possible.
• Check your emergency supply kit and replenish any items missing or in short supply, especially medications or other medical supplies. Be sure to you have extra batteries and flashlights in case you lose electricity.
• The county does not provide sandbags. Residents are encouraged to visit a hardware store.
• Purchase a battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA weather radio. Find an online NOAA radio station or download the NOAA radio app for your smartphone on Apple Store or Google Play
• Review your family’s emergency plan. Does your family know what to do or where to go in case of an emergency or localized flooding? And be sure you know what to do with pets.
• Fill plastic bottles with clean water for drinking.
• Fill your car’s gas tank in case you need to evacuate your home or seek shelter elsewhere.
• Sign up for severe weather alerts from Fairfax Alerts. You can receive these alerts by email and text.
• Do not let children play in or near streams or creeks due to the potentially rapidly rising waters.
• Turn around, don't drown. Just six inches of fast-moving water can knock over and carry off an adult. Twelve inches of water can float a small car. If that water is moving, it can carry that car away. Eighteen to 24 inches of flowing water can carry away most vehicles, including large SUVs.

For more on preparing for flooding and hurricanes in Fairfax County, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/readyfairfax.

Current cone of the probable path of the storm center as of Sept. 11, via National Hurricane Center