NORFOLK, Va. — All eyes are on remnants of Tropical Storm Debby in Hampton Roads. Norfolk city officials said although storm impacts have lessened, they are still on alert. They hope remnants of Debby don't cause any issues through the rest of the week.
“We are thankful that the track is fairing well for us,” said Norfolk Emergency Management Coordinator Daniel Hudson.
Though earlier in the week, the thought of a tropical system headed near Hampton Roads brought some concern for Norfolk leaders.
“It’s been so unpredictable with the path of Debby," Hudson said. "So, we were challenged in being prepared for anything and everything.”
Hudson said the city could see heavy rain through the evening. It comes after morning showers left standing water on flood-prone streets.
“We’ve got our public works crews out there pumping out the drains and cleaning the ditches,” he said.
He said several other crews are out monitoring conditions.
“We have our utility crews on standby,” Hudson said. “Our parks and rec crews are on standby, ready for any tree emergencies.”
Hudson said the National Weather Service is predicting winds up to 20 miles per hour.
“We could see some wind gusts into the lower 30s tonight,” he said.
Hudson adds the city could see a half inch of rain for the rest of Thursday and about an inch Friday. Although he says it looks like the city has missed the worst of the storm, he calls this a good trial to make sure everyone is prepared.
“We’re getting ready to get into the peak of hurricane season and they predicted this to be an above-average hurricane season,” Hudson said. “So now, we’re looking at what’s to come.”