Businesses steadfast against Florence
Published 6:38 pm Thursday, September 13, 2018
It was business as usual at Bennett’s Creek Farm Market on Wednesday afternoon, with customers lining up for their picks of meats or walking down aisles for produce and other grocery needs.
Hurricane Florence was still set for landfall at the coast of North and South Carolina and there was still time to prepare and plan before the storm started to roll in Thursday. But customers like Marissa Rebuck of Chesapeake had already done their due diligence.
“I already prepared with the crazies at Walmart,” Rebuck said, getting water, canned goods and whatever else she and her family would need.
Store manager Jodie Matthews said there was still more to fasten down around the store on Wednesday, but for the most part they were prepared.
“I think we’re going to get a lot of wind, but we’re (still) not going to get the heaviest part of it,” he said, adding that the store may close on Friday if the wind and rain get really bad.
Florence had not changed course as of Thursday morning, and meteorologists at National Weather Service Wakefield said on Thursday that they don’t anticipate any major changes before the weekend. The National Hurricane Center reports that Florence has diminished to Category 2 status, with maximum wind speeds at 105 mph.
The National Weather Service anticipates the worst of the impact for Suffolk to happen on Friday, with rain and wind subsiding by Saturday. As of the 11 a.m. update, Hampton Roads residents should expect between 2 to 4 inches of rainfall and wind speeds between 30 to 50 miles per hour in certain areas.
That means that many local businesses will keep their doors open for customers, at least until the weather hurts business.
Leah Stone, bartender at Baron’s Pub on North Main Street, said there were no changes to hours of operation as of Wednesday morning. Their plan is to keep an eye on the weather and as long as customers keep coming, there will be folks in the restaurant to serve them, she said.
“As long as (Florence) doesn’t take another turn, we’ll be OK,” she said.
The hanging spinners on the Knot Hole Station porch in Driver were twirling in the wind Wednesday afternoon. Regular customers kept the door swinging open, unfazed by the updated forecast.
Joan Mayo, mother of Knot Hole Station owner Ken Parsons and the store’s friendly greeter, said as long as they pick up anything that could be carried off by the wind and rain, then the store should be just fine for Florence, along with the rest of Driver.
“If the (2008 tornado) didn’t get us, then I think we’ll be OK with this hurricane,” she said.