Hurricane Irma is now a Category 5 hurricane, and tracking north of the Dominican Republic this morning. It will head for the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas before posing a serious threat the Florida and some parts of the Southeast this weekend. So far it is not mentioned how much of the storm we will get in Virginia, but parts of Georgia and the Carolinas could be struck by Irma early next week.
Irma has been a Category 5 hurricane for more than a day and a half, which ranks it the 7th longest lasting Category 5 in the Atlantic basin. Because of low wind shear, increased mid-level moisture and increasing oceanic-heat content, it could actually remain a Category 5 by Friday, and continue as a Category 4 or stronger for the next several days.
Looking at past “I” hurricanes along the same track as Irma, it is possible that we could see power outages and some wind damage in Virginia. Weather Channel claims this weekend and into early next week we should expect to see Irma, beginning in south Florida on Saturday.
Although we don’t entirely know just yet what to expect, it is important to prepare. James City County’s website has a list of steps to follow in order to do just that.
–Sign up for local emergency alerts.
-If you or a loved one have special needs, such as mobility challenges, be sure to register with the County’s special needs assistance program so you can receive assistance during or after an emergency event.
-Make a plan to communicate with family members. Designate someone outside the area to be the point-of-contact.
-Write down loved one’s phone numbers on a piece of paper, along with other important phone numbers, in case digital contact lists become unavailable. Keep your paper list in a waterproof bag and store it with other emergency supplies. Find a printable template with important local phone numbers here (PDF).
-Gather enough supplies for you and your family to stay in your home without utilities for 3 days.
Supplies to keep on hand:
– Water: 1 gallon per person/pet per day
– Nonperishible food or canned goods
– Manual can opener
– Battery operated radio
– Flashlights
– Extra batteries
– First Aid kit
– Pet food and medicine
– Copies of important documents placed in a waterproof bag
Right now it’s still too early to know where, if anywhere, Irma will strike the continental United States. However, if it does turn north once it reaches Florida – which many computer models are so far predicting – it could pose a threat to the coast of Virginia. Regardless, it is smart to prepare for the worst.
Photos courtesy of Weather Channel.
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