Tag Archives: mandatory evacuations

The Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys under mandatory evacuations as rivers hit peak levels

Train derailed flood

Important Takeaways:

  • As a record rain event comes to an end for the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys, flooding impacts will continue this week amid mandatory evacuations as floodwaters flow into streams and rivers, likely causing more flooding in previously spared areas.
  • The FOX Forecast Center said the storm system that brought six Flash Flood Emergencies and a deadly tornado outbreak across multiple states since last week will finally exit off the East Coast by Tuesday.
  • Over a foot of rain fell in Kentucky, western Tennessee and Arkansas throughout this event. Now, all this water needs to go somewhere.
  • The Kentucky River in Frankfort reached 48.27 feet at 5 a.m. ET Monday morning. This is only 0.2 feet (2.4 inches) below the all-time record crest of 48.47 feet, set on Dec 10, 1978.
  • Meanwhile, more than 50 river locations are currently experiencing or expected to reach major flood stage over the next few days, and another 90 river locations are forecast to reach moderate flood stage.
  • According to the National Weather Service, the Ohio River in Cincinnati and Louisville, Kentucky, is expected to crest at its highest level in seven years.
  • According to the FOX Forecast Center, rainfall water on the Mississippi River is forecast to reach Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in more than two and a half weeks, and water levels could rise to the highest level in four years.
  • “That’s the biggest threat here with communities that live along the river expected to see that water rise,” Minar said. “We can expect to see some concerns for businesses and buildings, just driving along the way as well. You don’t ever want to drive through floodwaters, but this is gonna be a really difficult task.”

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Dangerous situation as North Carolina declares State of Emergency with wildfires burning over 5,000 acres fueled by wind and dry conditions

Important Takeaways:

  • Parts of western North Carolina, still reeling from devastating floods driven by Hurricane Helene in September, are now under siege from wildfires.
  • Firefighters converged on rural Polk County to battle at least three blazes that have scorched over 5,700 acres, destroyed at least three homes and multiple other buildings, and forced mandatory evacuations. The fire response effort has been hindered by regional impacts from Helene, as debris remains in forests and some roads.
  • The two largest blazes in what’s known as the Black Cove Complex fires have burned more than 5,500 acres in Polk County and were 0% contained late Monday, the state Forest Service said. Both have been burning since Wednesday and gained ground Monday despite the efforts of 263 firefighters from North Carolina and eight other states.
  • “The Black Cove Fire is moving into Henderson County along Big Hungry Creek Road, where firefighters are attempting to slow the spread of the fire and protect structures,” the Forest Service said in a late-afternoon update Monday.
  • Dry conditions that have prevailed in the area for weeks are expected overnight and later in the week, along with windy conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Hurricane Florence nears Carolinas, forcing 1.5 million in westward exodus

Hurricane Florence is seen from the International Space Station as it churns in the Atlantic Ocean towards the east coast of the United States, September 10, 2018. NASA/Handout via REUTERS

By Anna Driver

HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. (Reuters) – More than 1.5 million people were ordered to evacuate their homes along the U.S. southeast coast as Hurricane Florence, the most powerful to menace the Carolinas in nearly three decades, barreled closer on Tuesday.

Florence, a Category 4 storm packing winds of 130 miles per hour (210 kph), was expected to make landfall on Friday, most likely in southeastern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed declarations of emergency for both North Carolina and South Carolina, a step that frees up federal money and resources for storm response.

Empty shelves are seen at a supermarket as residents prepare for Storm Florence's descent in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., September 10, 2018, in this still image taken from a video obtained from social media. @missgil/via REUTERS

Empty shelves are seen at a supermarket as residents prepare for Storm Florence’s descent in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., September 10, 2018, in this still image taken from a video obtained from social media. @missgil/via REUTERS

Residents boarded up their homes and stripped grocery stores bare of food, water and supplies. The South Carolina Highway Patrol sent “flush cars” eastbound on major highways to clear traffic, before reversing lanes on major roadways to speed the evacuation of the coast, state officials said on Twitter.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered about 1 million residents along his state’s coastline to leave starting at noon on Tuesday, when the highways will become westbound only. He evoked the memory of 1989’s Hurricane Hugo, which killed 27 people in the state, in urging people to comply.

“I’d rather be safe than sorry,” McMaster told ABC’s “Good Morning America” TV show on Tuesday. “We want people to get out and get safe.”

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued an evacuation order for about 245,000 residents in flood-prone coastal areas beginning at 8 a.m. local time.

GENERATOR, HOME REPAIR STOCKS UP

The storm was located about 950 miles (1,530 km) east-southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, at 8 a.m. ET, according to the NHC, which warned it would be “an extremely dangerous major hurricane” through Thursday night.

In addition to flooding the coast with wind-driven storm surges of seawater as high as 12 feet (3.7 m), Florence could drop 20 inches to as much as 30 inches (51 cm to 76 cm) of rain in places, posing the risk of deadly flooding miles inland, forecasters said. They warned the storm could linger for days after making landfall, drenching an already saturated landscape.

Shares of generator maker Generac Holdings Inc rose 3 percent, adding to Monday’s more than 5-percent gain, in expectation that the company will benefit from increased demand as the storm knocks out power for residents in the storm’s path.

Anticipating a rush for home protection and repair materials, investors also pushed up the shares of Home Depot Inc and Lowe’s Cos Inc for the second day.

STAY OR FLEE?

Customers line up to buy propane at Socastee Hardware store, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S. September 10, 2018. REUTERS/Randall Hill

Customers line up to buy propane at Socastee Hardware store, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S. September 10, 2018. REUTERS/Randall Hill

At least 250,000 more people were due to be evacuated from the northern Outer Banks in North Carolina on Tuesday after more than 50,000 people were ordered on Monday to leave Hatteras and Ocracoke, the southernmost of the state’s barrier islands.

“We haven’t plywooded our house for several years but I am for this one,” said Tom Pahl, 66, by phone from Ocracoke Island. Pahl, who serves as a Hyde County commissioner, said he had not yet made up his mind about leaving the island, which is reachable only by ferry and plane.

Retired Maryland State Police pilot Paul Jones and his wife hit the road early on Tuesday to avoid traffic from Hatteras Island to their Maryland residence.

“I will not stay for a hurricane,” Jones, 68, said. “I have had enough excitement in my life.”

Classified as a Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane strength, Florence is the most severe storm to threaten the U.S. mainland this year.

The United States was hit with a series of high-powered hurricanes last year, including Hurricane Maria, which killed some 3,000 people in Puerto Rico, and Hurricane Harvey, which killed about 68 people and caused an estimated $1.25 billion in damage with catastrophic flooding in Houston.

(Additional reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina, Susan Heavey in Washington and Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee; Writing by Nick Zieminski; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill Rigby)