By Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – As Tropical Storm Hermine works its way up the East Coast, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency in the commonwealth Friday afternoon.
“We just got off the phone with director [Rick] Knabb who is the head of the National Hurricane Service, or the National Weather Service, who informed us as of right now modeling that they’re using in Virginia, the prototype today shows that there is a strong likelihood of life-threatening storm surges coming to the Hampton Roads Region, particularly Virginia Beach, Norfolk,” McAuliffe said at a press conference.
Meteorologists predict up to 10 inches of rain can fall over the next couple of days.
“As it gets off the coast it will re-constitute itself and the winds will push it back towards the west which will bring, what could be, 6 to 8 feet of waves and 2 to 4 feet of storm surges,” McAuliffe said.
Dr. Jeff Stern, who coordinates Virginia’s Department of Emergency Management, said he has canceled all authorized leave and called everyone back to work. Saturday at 7 a.m. the state emergency operations center will be fully activated and staffed.
McAuliffe said he will be updating residents when and if the storm’s path changes.
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(Photo: CNN)
