Governor Ralph Northam says all parts of Virginia will experience significant impacts from Hurricane Florence.
Monday afternoon he ordered a mandatory evacuation of Zone A in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore. Those are the lowest lying and most flood prone locations in those areas. Evacuations will start Tuesday morning at 8:00.
The state is activating the entire Virginia National Guard. That's about six-thousand soldiers.
Emergency planners say all Virginians should be prepared for extended power outages that could last for days or even weeks.
Mandatory evacuation orders for parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks went into effect at noon Monday. The Governor of South Carolina has ordered the evacuation of the state's entire coast beginning at noon Tuesday.
The emergency declaration issued Saturday by Northam helps mobilize resources to prepare for the storm, mitigate any damage and streamline the process Virginia uses to send assistance to other states.
Northam said in a statement that while the impacts are still uncertain, forecasts increasingly expect the storm to strengthen into a major hurricane that could affect the East Coast, including Virginia, next week. Impacts could include flooding, high winds and a possible storm surge.
Hurricane Florence continues to strengthen & head our way. Major impacts from Florence possible in our forecast area late week/weekend. Please remain abreast of watches, warnings & advisories that will be issued this week. Begin making preparations for the worst case scenario now pic.twitter.com/YxCyYiHQ34
— NWS Blacksburg (@NWSBlacksburg) September 10, 2018
The governor is urging residents to begin preparing now by assembling an emergency kit with food, water, medication, pet supplies and important documents. Coastal residents should also check what hurricane evacuation zone they live in.
National Hurricane Center: there is an increasing risk of life-threatening impacts from Florence, storm surge at the coast and freshwater flooding inland from prolonged & exceptionally heavy rainfall. ALL Virginians should prepare. https://t.co/QhDka13E6z https://t.co/6rC6zDRP7c pic.twitter.com/ObZyHokHGH
— Virginia Department of Emergency Management (@VDEM) September 10, 2018