Hurricane and Tropical Storm Preparedness
Hurricane season in the Atlantic generally occurs between June 1st and November 30th each year. Working with your family and friends for the possibility of a hurricane or tropical storm impacting Virginia can help keep you safe and make it easier to recover from a storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s www.Ready.Gov is an excellent resource on how best to prepare you and your family for the oncoming storm.
Know your zone: Visit https://www.vaemergency.gov/hurricane-evacuation-zone-lookup/ to find out what zone you and your loved ones live in. Zone designations are used by emergency managers to advise residents whether they should evacuate to higher ground or shelter at home.
Check your flood insurance policy: Most homeowner’s insurance does not cover flooding and it typically takes up to 30 days for flood insurance policy to go into effect. Just an inch of water in your home can cause thousands of dollars in damage. The National Flood Insurance Program provides insurance to renters, homeowners, and businesses. For more information, visit https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance.
I also encourage you to track storms that may impact Virginia by visiting the National Weather Service (NWS) at www.weather.gov and the National Hurricane Center at www.hurricanes.gov. You can also follow updates on the storm on Twitter by following @NOAA and @NWS. Also, be sure to check local weather statements via NWS for specific details for your County Warning Area (CWA) on weather conditions, evacuation decisions made by local officials, and other precautions necessary to protect life and property. For the Richmond and Hampton Roads regions, please use the statements from the National Weather Service field office in Wakefield, Virginia (click on current hazards). You can also follow the NWS’ Wakefield Field Office on Twitter at @NWSWakefieldVA. For those that don’t use Twitter, there is also a FEMA mobile app that you can download as well.
Finally, below is the emergency contact information for localities in the 3rd Congressional District of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Dominion Power, and the Prince George and Community Electric Cooperatives in the event of a power outage. Please be sure to print out this e-mail so these phone numbers will be available in case of a power outage. In the event of an emergency, always dial 911 first.
Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Phone: (804) 897-6500
Website: https://www.vaemergency.gov/
Hurricane Evacuation Zone Information
Website: http://www.vaemergency.gov/hurricane-evacuation-zone-lookup/
City of Chesapeake
Phone: (757) 382-1775
Website: http://www.cityofchesapeake.net/government/city-departments/departments/fire/emergman.htm
City of Franklin
Phone: (757) 562-8581
Website: https://www.franklinva.com/government/departments/fire-and-rescue/
City of Hampton
Phone: (757) 727-1208
Website: https://www.hampton.gov/eoc/
City of Newport News
Phone: (757) 269-2900
Website: https://www.nngov.com/emergency-management
City of Norfolk
Phone: (757) 441-5610 or (757) 441-5600
Website: https://www.norfolk.gov/index.aspx?NID=629
City of Portsmouth
Phone: (757) 393-8338
Website: https://www.portsmouthva.gov/eoc/
City of Suffolk
Phone: (757) 514-4536
Website: https://www.suffolkva.us/607/Emergency-Management
Isle of Wight County
Phone: (757) 365-6308
Website: https://www.co.isle-of-wight.va.us/departments/emergency_services/emergency_management/index.php
Dominion (Power)
If you need to report a power outage or downed power lines, please call Dominion at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357). Dominion has additional information on how to report and prepare for an outage on their website at: https://www.dom.com/residential/dominion-virginia-power/outage-center.
Community Electric Cooperative (CEC)
If you need to report a power outage or downed power lines, please call CEC at (757) 242-6181. CEC has additional information on how to report and prepare for an outage on their website at: https://www.comelec.coop/report-outage.Please be safe and follow any evacuation directions that may be issued for your neighborhood or locality during a storm.