VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. —
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to bring heavy rain and flash flooding. Crews in Virginia Beach are preparing for that threat and more. The effects of Tropical Storm Debby are hard to predict at this moment. This is why officials at Virginia Beach are getting ready for almost anything.
On Tuesday, city workers cleared storm drains and pump stations across Virginia Beach.
“We get our vac trucks out, we pick up debris that gets caught up next to the pump stations or in clean outs that we know are going to be problematic,” Director of Public Works J.L. Hansen said in a press conference this afternoon.
Hansen said impacts across the will be vastly different depending on where the storm will be.
“If the storm goes to our west up along Richmond, and we get winds that blow out of the south the southern part of the city gets impacted differently than the northern part, and that one is probably a little more concerning for us this week,” Hansen said.
Hansen is not expecting to see extreme flooding like in other cities across the southern US. But knowing that all of Virginia Beach is low-lying and prone to flooding, he said the goal of preparations this week is straightforward.
“Our goal is to make sure that we don't have issues where the roads are flooded out that emergency vehicles can't get across them or that we have water in residents’ homes or structures,” Hansen said.
Debby is expected to bring not only heavy rain and flooding but possibly a low-level tornado threat. Hansen says people should use simple safety rules to stay safe over the next few days.
“I think it’s always wise to use your best judgment. I don’t think that this is going to be an event that we’re going to have large-scale flooding but certainly if a road is flooded. We always ask. Don’t drive into flooded waters,” Hansen said.