Eastern Shore
of Virginia
Emergency Operations Center
Serving Accomack and Northampton
Counties and the Town of Chincoteague
23201 Front Street , Accomac, Virginia 23301-0337
Coastal
Nor’easter
November 11-12-13-14, 2009
EOC STATUS: Recovery
Operations
STATE
EOC STATUS: Recovery Operations
The Town of Chincoteague
This Page Was Last
Updated on 11/15/2009 @ 7:00 P.M.
LOCAL WATCHES,
WARNINGS, AND MESSAGES
Residents and visitors should
closely monitor local TV and radio stations and NOAA weather radio for updates
regarding weather events. WESR Radio
(103.3 FM; 1330 AM) serves as the Eastern Shore’s primary radio station for
warning information.
In response
to damages from the recent Nor’Easter, the Accomack
County Board of Supervisors have determined that tipping fees at the two county
landfills be waived for storm debris.
This tipping fee waiver will be in effect from Saturday, November 14, to
Saturday, November 21, 2009.
Residents
must bring their storm related debris in loads separate from their other
waste. Residents need to inform the
scale operator at the landfill that they have storm debris in order to receive
the fee waiver.
EVACUATIONS
No Evacuation Orders Have Been Issued At
This Time
Residents Should Assess Storm Information and
Plan Evacuation If Necessary.
SHELTERS
No Public Shelters Are Open At This Time
Special Needs Should Be Reported to the Emergency
Operations Center.
Please Coordinate Alternative Sheltering With
Family and Friends Where Possible.
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
Normal Daily Responses At This Time
STATE NEWS RELEASES
Safety important during clean up
RICHMOND– Homeowners should be aware of potential dangers they
could encounter when they return home after a flood. Flooded property can
present many hazards; homeowners should follow important safety tips.
If there has been a backflow of sewage into the house, the
following measures should be taken to ensure proper clean up:
·
Walls, hard-surfaced
floors and many other household surfaces must be cleaned with soap and water
and disinfected with a solution of one cup of bleach to five gallons of water.
·
Thoroughly disinfect
surfaces that come in contact with food and children’s play areas.
·
Wash all linens and
clothing in hot water or dry-clean.
·
Items that cannot be
washed or dry-cleaned, such as mattresses and upholstered furniture, must be
air dried in the sun and sprayed thoroughly with a disinfectant.
·
Steam-clean all
carpeting.
·
Fiberboard, fibrous
insulation and disposable filters that have contacted floodwater or sewage
should be replaced in your heating and air conditioning system.
·
Wear rubber boots and
waterproof gloves during cleanup.
·
As you clean up your
home, be careful about mixing household cleaners and disinfectants, because
combining certain types of products can produce toxic fumes and result in
injury or death.
·
It can be difficult to
throw away items in a home, particularly those with sentimental value. However,
keeping certain items soaked by sewage or floodwaters may be unhealthy. In
general, materials that cannot be thoroughly cleaned and dried within 24 to 48
hours should be discarded.
Mold
Moisture that enters buildings from leaks or flooding
accelerates mold growth. Molds can cause disease, trigger allergic reactions
and continue to damage materials long after the storm. Failure to control
moisture and mold can present short and long-term health risks.
To protect against health risks associated with mold:
·
Remove standing water
from your home or office.
·
Remove wet materials.
·
If mold growth has
already occurred, carefully remove or clean the moldy material.
·
Consider using personal
protective equipment when cleaning or removing mold including gloves, goggles
and an N-95 particle respirator (found at most local hardware stores). Check
with a health care provider before wearing a respirator. Do not use a
respirator if you have heart disease or chronic lung disease such as asthma or
emphysema.
·
Individuals with known
mold allergies or asthma should not clean or remove moldy materials.
·
Remember to not mix
cleaners and disinfectants, as hazardous gases may produce hazardous chemical
reactions. Read and follow label instructions carefully. Open windows and doors
to provide plenty of fresh air.
Drinking water
Drinking contaminated water may cause illness. Do not
assume that the water in the affected area is safe to drink. Listen to local announcements
on the safety of the water supply.
If the public water system lost pressure, a boil water
notice will likely be issued for your area.
People in these areas should take precautions to avoid
contaminated water, especially individuals with private wells. If your well is
in a flooded area, your water may contain disease-causing organisms and may not
be safe to drink.
·
Boil water for at least
one minute before using it for drinking, washing, cooking, etc.
·
Disinfect water by
adding eight drops (about one-eighth teaspoon—this would form a puddle about
the size of a dime) of unscented household bleach per gallon of water, and then
let it stand for 30 minutes. If the water is cloudy after 30 minutes, repeat
the procedure
·
Use only bottled water,
especially for mixing baby formula.
After the flooding subsides
·
Disinfect your well.
·
Have your well water
tested by a laboratory certified by the state.
Contaminated Food -- “When in doubt, throw it out!”
In the case of an electrical outage, it is important to take careful
precautions to ensure food safety. The risk of food poisoning is heightened
when refrigerators and ovens are inoperable. Discard any food that has been at
room temperature for two hours or more and any food that has an unusual odor,
color or texture.
Discard any food without a waterproof container if there is
any chance that it has come into contact with floodwaters. Undamaged,
commercially canned foods can be saved if you remove the labels thoroughly,
wash the cans, and then disinfect the cans with a solution consisting of 1/4
cup of unscented household bleach per gallon of water. Re-label your cans,
including the expiration date, with a marker. Food containers with screw-caps,
snap lids and home canned foods should be discarded if they have come in
contact with floodwaters because they cannot be disinfected.
Contaminated Items
Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and
pacifiers. There is no way to safely clean them if they have come in contact
with contaminated floodwaters. Thoroughly wash metal pans, ceramic dishes and
utensils with soap and hot water, and sanitize by boiling them in clean water
or by immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of one-quarter cup of
household bleach per gallon of water.
Food Safety Precautions
·
Perishable foods
including meats, dairy products and eggs that haven’t been refrigerated for
more than two hours should be discarded because they are no longer safe to
consume.
·
Foods that have been
contaminated by flooding should also be discarded.
·
Be particularly careful
to thoroughly disinfect surfaces that may come in contact with food, such as
counter tops, pantry shelves, pots and pans, dishes and inside refrigerators,
etc.
Hygiene
Basic hygiene is very important during natural disaster. Always wash your hands
with soap and water that has been boiled or disinfected and cooled. You should
wash your hands:
·
Before preparing or
eating food
·
After using the bathroom
or changing a diaper
·
After handling uncooked
food
·
After playing with a
pet
·
After handling garbage
·
After tending to
someone who is sick or injured
·
After blowing your
nose, coughing or sneezing
·
After participating in
flood cleanup activities
·
After handling articles
contaminated with floodwater or sewage.
GOVERNOR KAINE DECLARES STATE OF
~ Authorizes state agencies to prepare
for potential effects from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida and a coastal Nor’easter ~
"With
the National Weather Service indicating that eastern
Depending on rainfall amounts, there is a potential for river flooding in other areas of the state. With this evening's declaration, the Governor is delegating authority to local governments to direct mandatory evacuations of citizens in low-lying areas if such action becomes necessary.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is coordinating with local officials and state agencies as well as the National Weather Service. The Virginia State Police, Virginia National Guard, and the departments of Game and Inland Fisheries, Social Services and Transportation are preparing to assist local governments as necessary.
Additional measures that should be taken by citizens statewide--especially those in low-lying areas--include:
- Listening to local radio and TV stations for updated weather information and instructions from emergency officials.
- Making a plan now for travel, route, and destination in the event that an evacuation is ordered in your area.
Residents of coastal
# # #
For more information about disaster
preparedness, go to vaemergency.com.
Information is also available by calling the Virginia Public Inquiry
Center between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 866-880-4266.
LINKS FOR WEATHER AND EMERGENCY INFORMATION
National
Hurricane Center / Tropical Prediction Center
National
Weather Service Forecast Office - WFO Wakefield, VA
Virginia
Department of Emergency Management
Delmarva Weather Net®
OTHER LINKS –EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Eastern Shore of
Virginia 9-1-1 Center
FOR ALL EMERGENCIES, DIAL 9-1-1
EOC
Non-Emergency Phone Numbers: (757) 787-0900, 824-0900, 442-0911
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATORS
Accomack County:
Jason Loftus (757) 789-3610
Northampton County:
Hollye Carpenter (757) 678-0411
Town of Chincoteague:
E.
