Tide floods Kimberly
Published 7:08 pm Friday, October 2, 2015
Mark Lester, owner of Carts Unlimited on North Main Street in Kimberly, pulls away from neighboring Holiday Food Store with owner Pritesch Patel on Friday afternoon. Lester was delivering sandbags to the store to help limit flood damge as the Nansemond River overwashed its banks at high tide. Patel said Friday was the first time the business had flooded since a nor’easter in 2013. Lester added, “You kind of get used to it.”
News of Hurricane Joaquin has continued to improve for the Hampton Roads area. Joaquin is expected to remain at least 400 miles offshore as it travels north from the Bahamas, said Mike Rusnak, meteorologist with National Weather Service.
However, Hampton Roads is still dealing with a separate coastal system that is bringing flooding to the area.
“It might linger into Monday afternoon,” Rusnak said of the rain. The weekend’s forecast still includes “on and off rain through the weekend,” he said. With all of the wet weather, the area has already received between two and three inches’ worth of rainfall, and up to two more can still be expected, Rusnak said.
A tractor trailer sends up a huge spray as it crosses a flooded part of Constance Road on Friday afternoon. City officials eventually closed the road at this spot.
“The winds will be gusty,” he added. After a possible, brief calming of the winds on Saturday, they are expected to come at similar or even slightly higher speeds on Sunday. Those residing in the more inland areas of Hampton Roads can expect to experience 20 to 30 or possibly even 40 mile per hour winds on Sunday, said Rusnak.
Even without a hurricane, flooding and power outages still are concerns. The 700 block on North Main Street, located by the Kimberly Bridge, was closed for part of Friday. The 2200 to 2700 blocks of Wilroy Road are also expected to be closed during high tides throughout the weekend, said city spokeswoman Diana Klink. High tides will occur about 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day, she added.
Residents should be sure to report any outages they experience, Dominion Virginia Power spokeswoman Cora Argotti said. This will help Dominion Power have the most accurate idea of where the power issues are. Residents of Hampton Roads can contact Dominion Power by going to www.dom.com or their social media sites, as well as by calling their helpline at 1-866-366-4357.
While the rain will be gone by Peanut Fest, there’s still a chance the site will be muddy. However, a cancellation of the event is not being considered, said Theresa Earles, tourism development manager for the city of Suffolk.
The Virginia Department of Health also announced Friday that the James River downstream to the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel has been closed to shellfish harvesting for Oct. 5-13 due to the severe weather.
Heavy rainfall from storms and tidal flooding may wash animal waste and human sewage into tidal waters, resulting in the potential for microbiological and chemical pollution hazards that would make shellfish from these areas unacceptable for consumption.
