Heather Curtis

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON – (WMAL) Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan both declared a State of Emergency Thursday afternoon and mobilized the National Guard in advance of a nor’easter and Hurricane Joaquin, which is now a Category 4 storm.

“My message to all Virginians is we are going to see flooding throughout the Commonwealth over the next 36 hours,” McAuliffe said during a press conference.

Eight to 10 inches of rain are predicted to fall in Virginia between Thursday and Friday. McAuliffe also warned about power outages.

“At the best we’re gonna have some flooding and heavy rains and some winds. At its worst, we could have significantly more damage, but in either event we feel it’s risen to the point where it’s called for us to declare a State of Emergency,” Hogan said.

At this point, Hogan said it looks like Joaquin will have the biggest impact on the Eastern Shore and Ocean City.

Locally, flood prone areas are preparing for whatever Joaquin brings their way.

The National Weather Service predicts the Potomac River will reach nearly 5 feet during high tide at 1 Saturday morning, which will likely cause some minor flooding in Alexandria. Ahead of that, the city will hand out up to five free sandbags to residents and businesses Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the intersection of King and Lee Streets and at 133 S. Quaker Lane.

Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille said residents should also prepare by cleaning debris from storm drains, and getting enough water, medicine and food to last three days.

Annapolis, Maryland also hands out sandbags when there’s a risk of flooding, but David Mandell with the the the city’s emergency management department said they haven’t decided yet whether that will be necessary.

(Photo: CNN)