Plan on attending January 17th THURSDAY meeting at the Va Beach Resort Hotel 2800 Shore Drive at 3:30 PM.
Learn more about Bayfront Advisory Committee(BAC).
Category Archives: Safety
Seasons Greetings From SDCC
As we finish the year of 2012, we wish a warm (no global warming reference intended) season’s greetings to all our families and volunteers who have so freely given of their time, efforts, and treasures to maintain and improve the beauty and community of the Shore Drive area. Many, many people have so generously given to others in our area through food, furniture and clothing drives. You have welcomed our troops home, or said “good bye”, and offered a hand to neighbors while watching over our communities to keep them safe for all. Virginia Beach is truly a generous and caring community. Many of you have given without even expecting a “thank you”. You are beautiful, friendly and caring. You are the heart and very soul of this community that makes you so special. Enjoy your Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or winter solstice. May you personally feel the sense of community with all your neighbors, friends, and family about you.
We wish to give a special “thank you” to our Mayor, City Council members, and city staff for bringing Pleasure House Point to a reality and preserving this incredible public treasure for our future generations. Lynnhaven River Now and Chesapeake Bay Foundation deserve our very special thanks and continued future support.
On behalf of Grace, Todd, Carol, and Tim, may all of you have a MOST SPECIAL HOLIDAY!
CHEERS!!!!!
Pilot article about new fire station being built at Shore Drive and Greenwell
Proposed Page Avenue and Cherry Place Intersection Alternative at Shore Drive, Cape Henry Towers.
Thanks to Public Works Project Manager Jason B. Wilson for sharing the proposed changes for the intersection of Page Avenue and Shore Drive.
View the CHT Presentation Final (12 page PDF).
This is part of 2.117.000: Shore Drive Corridor Improvements – Phase III.
Learn more about Shore Drive infrastructure work at SDCC.info/HOT.
Alternative 1 for proposed realignment of intersection.
View from Page Avenue looking east down Shore Drive.
Trees pictured above would come down under all 3 Alternative proposals.
An excerpt of a comment from previous post at SDCC.info about this proposal:
I don’t understand the reason for ANY if these three proposals. Even when Duck In was hosting their famous Friday night parties, everyone (even drunk drivers) managed to exit onto Shore Dr without problems.
Mayor writes to Governor about forming the Chesapeake Bay Beach Storm Protection Program which includes dredging sand from the Chesapeake Bay for our beaches.
Background Information from City Staff regarding the LED Traffic Signs on Shore Drive
The following is an email from the Deputy City Manager, Dave Hansen, to the Bayfront Advisory Committee (BAC) explaining the LED Traffic signs on Shore Drive and the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) project. You can also see the 2009 Power Point presentation given by City Staff to City Council regarding this project. Click here to view the 3Mb file. ITS Brief 021810
Members of the BAC,
In November of 2009, DPW Jason Cosby briefed the City Council on the $22M Intelligent Transportation System project in which all but $1.5M was being funded by the Federal Highway Administration. In this comprehensive briefing he covered the major phases of construction and their specific outcomes. I have attached that brief and note that on chart #24 we identified the location of 6 sites where the Dynamic Message Boards were to be installed. Two of those locations were clearly shown on Shore Drive. Following that briefing Mr. Cosby briefed the BAC on 18 February 2010. I have attached that briefing and ask that you relook charts 21-26. Additionally I have attached the minutes of that BAC so that you can see who was in attendance when we advised you what the plan was, why it was and what it was to be like. As Mr. Arnhold made comment regarding City staff in his email below, I note that he was in attendance at the BAC brief on 2-18-10 and that no questions were posed to the staff following the DPW brief. The lag time between the briefings and the start of construction was the product of contracting, funding, technology, public briefings and increasing the requirement from six to eight locations. Hopefully the board recalls this information briefing in February 2010 and we can proceed to respond to the myriad of questions which are being asked. To assist you I provide the following description of the ITS project and specific information on the DMS.
The signs located on Shore Drive are part of The Virginia Beach Dynamic Message Signs and System Detector Project which consists of the installation of 11 motorists advisory Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) at eight locations, overhead sign support structures, equipment cabinets, and communication equipment. The DMS’s have three line displays. This important project was funded by Federal Funds associated with Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality and is intended to provide real time information to the motoring public to keep traffic flowing. The locations have been strategically selected and approved by City Council in order to maximize the dissemination of essential information to motorists. The DMS’s will be installed at eight locations within the City.
The DMS’s will be installed at the following locations:
1. Princess Anne Rd and Elson Green Ave, southbound
2. General Booth Blvd at the KOA Campground, northbound
3. Shore Dr and First Landing State Park, westbound
4. Shore Dr and Bayville Rd, back to back DMS’s
5. Northampton Blvd and Bayside Rd, eastbound
6. Northampton Blvd and Shell Rd, westbound
7. Independence Blvd and Wakefield Dr, back to back DMS’s
8. Shore Dr near 83rd St, back to back DMS’s
What follows is a brief summary of the why, what, how, and where:
1. Purpose:
-The primary purpose of the signs is to convey traffic condition information to the roadway motorists
– Signs are especially useful during hurricane evacuation
– Signs can be used to display public safety campaign information (i.e. Amber Alerts, Click-it-or Ticket)
2. Lighted:
– signs will not be lighted (no illumination lamps to shine on them); they are LED driven-internally illuminated
– the sign will be dark unless there is a message to display
3. Size: 6 feet high by 12 feet long; mounted 17 feet above the ground. (by comparison our portable signs are 6’ by 10’)
4. Location: The location on Shore Drive was specifically selected because of the following properties: -38,000 motorists pass this site every day
-West bound traffic can be alerted to conditions at Northampton Blvd, Chesapeake bay-Bridge Tunnel, and I-264
-East bound traffic can be alerted to downstream conditions on Shore Drive, Fort Story, Great Neck Road
The signs are a part of our ITS (intelligent Transportation System) project with the goal being able to disseminate real-time traffic information expeditiously to the motoring public. They can also be used to broadcast Amber Alerts in support of Public Safety.
Should you require additional information I am happy to respond to your RFIs. Regards, Dave
Dave Hansen
Deputy City Manager
City of Virginia Beach
(757)385-4242
Va Pilot Editorial Regarding LED Traffic Signs on Shore Drive Calls for More Public Involvement
NO WAY TO RAISE EIGHT ROAD SIGNS – THE ISSUE Virginia Beach erects several LED traffic signs. WHERE WE STAND Given the city’s ban on electronic signs, greater public involvement was required.
IN JUNE 2010, Virginia Beach’s City Council banned electronic signs in the city, calling them garish, distracting to drivers and dangerous. Rather than impose stringent restrictions on signs in front of churches and businesses, the council said the bright signs, if not already in place, would not be allowed at all.
That vote was in character with the city, which banned new billboards a quarter-century ago and encouraged landscaping and beautification projects in medians and other public spaces.
City government itself is exempt from the electronic sign ordinance, however. Light-emitting, attention-grabbing signs beckon passersby to Virginia Beach’s convention center and its performing arts center. Outside public schools, libraries and community centers, the signs are colorful reminders of upcoming events.
Now, according to reporting by The Pilot’s Kathy Adams, the city is erecting eight LED signs to warn drivers about traffic problems on Shore Drive, Princess Anne Road, and Independence, General Booth and Northampton boulevards. Not only are city officials defying the spirit of the ordinance, but they failed to talk to neighborhood groups about the signs’ locations, size and hours of use.
Traffic engineers determined the locations. The federal government paid for the $60,500 signs with “congestion-mitigation” money.
So now, instead of the city partnering with private companies that own the 30 billboards in Virginia Beach to allow limited electronic messages and city use for public safety issues — as some on the City Council had proposed in 2010 — the city has eight more signs towering over roadways.
Monday-morning quarterbacking does no good unless it serves as a lesson for the future. In the case of LED signs, the city failed a basic tenet of good government: It didn’t involve affected communities in the planning.
Virginia Beach should have solicited suggestions for designs that don’t run afoul of the aesthetics of the surroundings. It should have asked the public for ideas for traffic alert locations that would actually help drivers with alternative routes.
And because the city violated rules that bind the rest of us, it should have made the case publicly for why its signs are a safety feature, not a hazard.
Lynnhaven Colony Homeowners Seek Answers to Flooding Woes – Va Pilot Article by Selene Guerrero
HOMEOWNERS SEEK ANSWERS TO FLOODING WOES
By Selene D. Guerrero, Correspondent Virginia Pilot
Residents of Lynnhaven Colony filed into Dockside Restaurant on Nov. 17, but instead of appetites they brought questions for the public works officials in attendance. The city panel and more than 50 residents gathered to discuss solutions to the neighborhood’s common flooding during high tide and inclement weather.
“The most important and expensive thing you purchase is your home,” Donna Rennick, civic league vice-president, told Phillip Davenport, public works director, before he took the floor.
“We need to know how we can work with you,” Rennick said. “We need answers.”
Phillip Roehrs, water resources engineer, presented a project that officials believe would alleviate most of the flooding, but further study is needed to make certain it will do the job. Lynnhaven Colony is south of Shore Drive, on land that is between the Chesapeake Bay and Long Creek, which is a tributary of the Lynnhaven River. According to a 2005 study, solving the core problems – feeder ditch improvements, flooding on Shore Drive, relieving flooding in low-lying areas – is estimated to cost $50 million, Roehrs said. Roehrs added that he was not prepared to provide the residents a timeline of when the project would begin or be completed.
“We’re at a point where we are thinking of moving,” said Joyce Dunn, a 30-year resident. “After the 2009 nor’easter, the city proposed the same and nothing has been resolved.”
Dunn’s family has made costly adjustments in their home, such as resurfacing their garage and moving their furnace to the attic. In about a year, when sidewalk construction on Shore Drive begins, the city plans to start Phase I of the project by putting in the components needed for development of a flood-control system.
The final plan would provide the community with two tide gates, five water pump stations (adding to the two already in place) and an underground conveyance system. The current outfalls to the Chesapeake Bay and river would be improved with extra collection systems that would provide a better flow.
“There are minor tweaks in the works,” Roehrs said. “But it will take a number of years to build and a number of years to finance.”
Currently less than $3 million a year is set aside for the project. City officials are working to come up with a way to fully finance the project and move forward.
“Even if we are able to come up with a financing plan where we can have all the money today,” Davenport said, “we can’t do all of the work at one time, it has to be phased.”
Construction around the roads and ditches would make it difficult for residents to get in and out of Lynnhaven Colony, he said.
The city plans to put in place a funding and work schedule, and provide residents with a timeline by December 2013. In the meantime, city representatives suggested that homeowners have their homes elevated and seek federal funding with the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the Severe Repetitive Loss program.
“Set an expectation,” resident Vin Melwani told the panel after the presentation. “I’m a homeowner,” Melwani said. “I just would really appreciate it if you could set a realistic expectation.”
- For information about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Severe Repetitive Loss
program, contact Erin Sutton, city emergency planner, at 385-1076.
- For proposed plans and maps of the flood-prone areas off Shore Drive east of the Lesner Bridge, visit http://www.tinyurl.com/ akc9nd6
City Continues Engineering Studies for Immediate Stormwater Solutions East of Lesner Bridge – Results Expected April 2013
The following email was received from Deputy City Manager Dave Hansen in respone to requests that immediate stormwater solutions similar to the one used in Ocean Park be installed in flood prone areas east of the Lesner Bridge in Cape Story, Lynnhaven Colony and Cape Henry neighborhoods.
Eastern Shore Drive Leaders,
Let me begin by attesting the Eastern Shore Drive Storm Water Drainage Area Improvement Initiative is one of our top focus areas as we roll into the new year. The staff and City leadership are very sensitive to the hardships created when we have intense and long-lasting weather events such as Sandy, Irene, and the Nor’easter of Nov 09. Following Public Works attendance and briefing last Saturday with the Lynnhaven Colony Civic League and concerns we have received from Cape Henry Shores, Cape Story By the Sea and other concerned citizens in the eastern Shore Drive drainage area, our engineering and operations staff will be undertaking an accelerated analysis of several interim solutions which have been suggested and on the face seem to have merit in providing various degrees of protection from tidal inundation. Below is a summary of the two phases I have asked our engineering staff to pursue. Phase I is a data map with summary descriptions so we identify all infrastructure, elevations and drainage areas east of the Lesner. Completing this on 7 Dec allows us to define the study aspects of Phase II. I have asked Public Works to complete their assessments and recommendations by the first week in April and to publish a written report NLT 12 April. Intent will be to post this report on-line for the civic leagues and citizens to review. Here are summaries of the first two phases:
1. Using City topographic mapping as the base, delineate the drainage sub basins, the drainage systems (open and closed), and the outfalls for the Lynnhaven Colony/Cape Henry/Cape Story by the Sea areas. This will provide a clear graphic that depicts the ground elevations, drainage areas, and drainage system elements – including outfalls. This will be used as a tool for the additional analyses identified in Phase 2 and will be suitable for discussions with the BAC and civic leagues when describing how the systems function and why engineering analyses are necessary to support any proposed interim measures such as backflow preventers. I.e., it’s not as simple as just keeping the tide out, the rainfall runoff has to be able to either be safely stored within the particular drainage area or be able to be discharged with the backflow preventers in place (or a combination thereof). These products will be ready by December 7.
2. Each sub basin will have an analysis done to determine the suitability of backflow preventers on the outfall for the particular subbasin; if a backflow preventer is suitable, the type of backflow preventer; the amount of rainfall runoff the subbasin can handle without structural flooding; the stand-by pumping requirements (if any); and the probable costs. While simply jumping to a “solution” as has been suggested by some, it is absolutely necessary that the City allow the responsible level of engineering to be done to assure that we do not inadvertently worsen the drainage situation for any particular subbasin. We are estimating four months for this effort. Expect to deliver a written analysis with recommendations and preliminary costs and timeline by mid-April.
Phase III will be the review and approval process leading to design and construction. Once we firm up the costs and the competitive process we’ll use to get the work done we can provide a reasonable timeline. I wish to close this email by ensuring our citizens fully understand these interim solutions as with the permanent solutions have definitive limitations. At some level of tidal surge and some accumulation and intensity of precipitation all infrastructure improvements will be overcome and mother nature will prevail. Hopefully implementing interim measures will reduce the risk of moderate storm damage and buy the time for us to consider even grander infrastructure solutions to tackle the bigger more threatening hurricanes and nor’easters we seem to be weathering of late. Happy Thanksgiving and fingers crossed for a quiet winter storm season. Regards, Dave
Dave Hansen
Deputy City Manager
City of Virginia Beach
(757)385-4242
“Temporary Bulkhead” at the beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility further explained
From an email from Dave Hansen posted unedited with permission:
Kal & Grace,
FYI – The “Temporary Bulkhead” as shown in the permit application and on the current design plans, is designed with steel sheeting with a tie-back system and a concrete cap. The length is approx 400 LF.
Timber is great for residential bulkheads, but it is not adequate for a commercial/industrial application like this.
Timber would not hold up for the construction duration. The cap would require cleats to tie-off and a timber cap would not provide an adequate anchor for loaded barges, boats, etc., to tie off.
The concrete cap provides more structural stability for the bulkhead design.
This concrete cap bulkhead design is more of a standard section that contractors are used to building.
As an alternate, a more expensive steel cap could be used, but in either scenario (steel or concrete) the cap needs to be more durable than timber.
As promised in my many briefings to your respective organizations we will visit this discussion just past the 50% construction stage to see how we are co-existing with our boating public. Regards, Dave
Dave Hansen
Deputy City Manager
City of Virginia Beach
(757)385-4242
Permit at US ACOE website.
More about dredging, and the replacement for the Lesner Bridge at SDCC HOT page.
Jetty study at Lesner Bridge, Planning Commission recommends CBF wind turbine proposal at PHP
About Jetty study at Pilotonline:
Once the study is complete, the corps will present its findings to the city. Then both parties will decide whether to move forward with building the structures, said Phil Roehrs, the Virginia Beach coastal engineer.
Roehrs said the city would consider the jetties “only if the study shows they can be built in an environmentally sound way.”
Previously at SDCC.info. We scooped the Pilot. Thanks Andy.
About wind turbines at CBF’s facility on PHP at SavePHP.org:
Hopefully CBF and SmithGroup JJR will far exceed the standard in the wind turbine they use so as to minimize bird conflicts since PHP is a vital stop in the Atlantic Flyway.
“Kristin Mazur, project manager for the Norfolk District Lynnhaven Inlet Jetties Navigation Project with the city of Virginia Beach, Va., explains the federal interest determination study process and timetable, Oct. 19, 2012, to add a 1,000-foot jetty in front of the Lesner Bridge.”
Learn more at US Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District article.
The federal study will determine if jetties or a combination of coastal structures is cost-effective in reducing critical shoaling and annual costs of maintaining the navigation channel, as well as reducing damages incurred on structures in the channel due to continuous wave action.
Multiple car break ins, drunk driving including hitting various objects, driving on bike path, vandalism and more in Cape Henry Shores and Cape Story by The Sea last night.
Neighborhood Watch from CSTBS will be attending the Citizen’s Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday night at the Second Precinct at 820 Virginia Beach Blvd and intend to bring all this up. Everyone is invited to attend this meeting to air complaints, and to meet with police and other City officials. They really appreciate public comments. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.
“Please be aware of a dangerous “quick sand” environment on the beach. A resident of Baylake Pines sank to his waist on Tues evening while walking his dog and struggled to get out. He notified the city.”
Pulled from Ocean Park Civic League Facebook page …. from Baylake Pines:
Please be aware of a dangerous “quick sand” environment on the beach. A resident of Baylake Pines sank to his waist on Tues evening while walking his dog and struggled to get out. He notified the city. Until it is rectified, please pass the word. Tell the kids to beware! It was suggested that you don’t walk alone and do walk during daylight hours. Pass the word please–its a pretty day for beach-goers.
Email sent to the city (Emergency Mgmt), Tues., Nov. 6:
This is to alert you of a dangerous situation on the beach at the foot of Seaview Avenue in Chicks Beach. I sank to my waist in the sand while walking my dog this evening on the beach in front of the bulkhead immediately to the west of Seaview Avenue. I was able to pull myself out of the sand after a ten to fifteen
minute struggle. I alerted the City backhoe driver who was at work placing fill material on the beach at the end of Seaview Avenue, and suggested that he contact his supervi…sor to report the situation.Although I am not an expert on these conditions, I believe that at certain tide levels, the beach in front of the bulkhead can become “quick” due to its low elevation and other features of the geography behind the bulkhead. I believe that this poses a serious hazard to the public.
Please take appropriate measures to warn the public of this dangerous condition.
Flooding in Cape Story caused by backflow through First Landing outfalls
The photos below show the high tide flooding that occurred Monday Oct. 29th around 10:30am high tide cycle for Long Creek. The water level above the SW grate on First Landing was about 14 inches. Estimate for the height of the high tide for this event is close to 7.0 feet based on 2006, 2009 Nor’Ida and 2011 Irene.
At least 8 homes between Calvert and Wake Forest had water come into their homes. The one at the end of First Landing Lane had at close to 18 inches and will need dry wall and insulation replaced. All of the flooding for these homes was a direct result of the tidal surge coming backwards through the First Landing outfalls in the Cape Henry canal.
Based on observations during the storm, water from the Cape Henry canal never breeched the roadway crest at the intersection of Admiral and First Landing. Water entered the ditch along the trail and filled the low lying areas and then flowed west toward Wake Forest. The maps produced after the 2009 event were very close to what actually happened.
Based on the success of the backflow prevention device in Ocean Park, some type of device needs to be installed in the First Landing outfalls ASAP. The flooding damage to Cape Story as a result of Sandy could have been prevented. Based on past experience from 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2012, a backflow device will function satisfactorily for events that have a high tide less than 8.5 feet. This should be acceptable for most events. Of course, if a Cat 2 storm hits us directly, we’re all in trouble. Nothing will save us and we know that.
-
- Photo of First Landing State Park and bike path looking west during Super Storm Sandy Oct 2012.
Wednesday, Oct. 31, is Halloween. Trick-or-Treat begins at dusk and ends at 8 p.m. for children 12 years of age and younger. Members of the Virginia Beach Emergency Response System want you and your family to be safe. Planning ahead can help make this Halloween a safe and fun treat.
Read the news release. (2pg PDF)
If you’re planning to take the kids trick-or-treating, or if you’re passing out candy, follow a few simple rules to keep Halloween safe and fun. If you are passing out treats, please turn your porch light on so children will know they are welcome. If you are not passing out treats, please turn your porch light off. Other safety tips for trick-or-treaters include…
Catastrophic storm plug for Crab Creek outfall prevented widespread tidal flooding in Ocean Park.
Thanks to Dave Hansen, Assistant City Manager, Phil Koetter & Mike Mundy of Public Works and others for installing the inflatable catastrophic storm plug at the Crab Creek outfall in Ocean Park. It worked!
During past storms Isabel, Nor’Ida and Irene, there was widespread tidal flooding in the Ocean Park area that is on this system. It is not connected to the pump station which protects the Pleasure House Point side of Ocean Park. The area this outfall covers is roughly Salty C’s east to the Lesner Bridge, down Dinwiddie Road past Ocean Park Baptist Church, north on East Stratford Road over to Tazewell into Crab Creek.
With this much damage at the beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility, there would have again been feet of water on the roads thanks to the tidal surge through the Crab Creek outfall.
This was roughly the worst it got thanks to the installation and use of the plug.
This was roughly the worst it got. In previous storms, like Nor ‘Ida, there was feet of water in Croakers.
This is how it looked for most of Sandy. In previous storms, feet of tidal water were here.
Conclusion?
This inflatable plug in Crab Creek outfall worked!
It’s possible that since this experiment worked here, it might be able to work elsewhere.
Obviously, this might not work everywhere – but certainly, there are many smart people who can come up with creative solutions that could stop tidal flooding in other areas.
Thanks again to Dave Hansen, Assistant City Manager, Phil Koetter & Mike Mundy of Public Works and others for installing the inflatable catastrophic storm plug at the Crab Creek outfall in Ocean Park.
+ + +
How did Crab Creek get this inflatable plug?
During Irene last year, I raised holy hell in Facebook as the tide surged through the storm drains.
Mr. Hansen and some Public Works storm water engineers came out during Irene. After several meetings with many people over weeks including countless emails, our recommendations to install and use this plug were approved.
“As of 3:22 p.m. Shore Dr. is now open, however, there is still an area of high water in the westbound lane at the intersection of Starfish Lane.”
“The rain and strong winds will continue throughout the day as Hurricane Sandy moves north, but the risk of major flooding has subsided for Hampton Roads, according to the National Weather Service.”
“The one this morning was the one we had to watch out for,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Orrock.
The next high tide, at 9:43 p.m., will be about the same “as the highest high tide you’d normally see in a year,” Orrock said.
Visit the new Shore Drive Community Coalition Facebook Page for more photos.
City Manager Update #9 from 9am Monday
From an email:
To: City Council; Constitutional Officers and Appointed Officials; Department Directors
Cc: Executive Assistants; Media and Communications; Media and Communications
Subject: Nor’easter SANDY Update #9At today’s 0900 Monday City Manager we are confident our projections remain valid. Our current challenge is the ongoing high tide and its stacking impacts in the Lynnhaven and Elizabeth River Basins. We are also seeing an increase in the number of road overtopping by storm water ponding. Road closures are being updated on our Hurricane Sandy webpage every two hours. Total rainfall amounts so far vary throughout the City from 2.8 inches to as much as 4.9 inches. We are expecting a change in wind direction to occur late this afternoon.
Our most significant issue remains tidal stacking within the Lynnhaven and Elizabeth River basins creating low level residential flooding. Throughout today our Public Safety and Public Works teams are on the ground monitoring the effects of the ongoing high tide. Projected NWS storm surge will result in a high tide +7 feet above MLLW. This confirms our analysis that tide cycle stacking in the Lynnhaven and the Elizabeth River neighborhoods will result in significant tidal flooding up to elevation 6 feet above sea level. Our neighborhood specific inundation maps have indicate areas below 6 feet above sea level so citizens can make their assessments as to impacts of localized tidal flooding. We remain confident the Historical Tidal & Surge Chart is projecting where Sandy’s high tide elevations above Mean Low Water Level will be in relation to our previous storms. This additional information is being posted on our VBgov website. Here is the link.
http://www.vbgov.com/residents/emergency-preparedness/Pages/hurricane-sandy.aspx
Sustained wind projections have stabilized however the attached charts reflect a significant wind direction change and increased window of gusting will occur late afternoon today. Winds will make a dramatic shift from NW to SW and we should be guarded as to the effects this may have on our canopy. As Sandy makes another turn mid afternoon its projected path will actually bring the storm closer to Virginia Beach – hence our concern regarding impacts of the wind direction change. Winds still will not reach hurricane force and we do not believe sustained tropical force winds (39-74mph) will be reached either. We do however anticipate tropical force gusts that may occasionally reach the mid-fifties. The severity of this nor’eastercane is subsiding though the consistency of the winds will continue until after daylight Tuesday morning. Dom Power reported customer outages stands at 1500 of which 1200 are the result of an accident on Northhampton Blvd that toppled a power pol .
Storm surge has been most dramatic. Atlantic wave height throughout the day has been spectacular with some reaching the projected 15 foot level ; Bay wave height is nearing 8 feet with 9 foot waves being experience further into the bay. Beach erosion observations indicate our Atlantic beaches are faring well. On the Bay the Cape Henry, Ocean Park and Baylake Pines beaches are also holding however the Chesapeake Beach which had little buffer continues losing what little dune system it had. Indications are we are experiencing some structural damage and tidal surge flooding. Public Works is documenting these instances.
Rain is our 4th threat. Some areas of the City may receive up to 7 inches. Rain intensity has been steady but moderate. Projections are we could receive an additional +3 inches before the storm is over. Rains will continue through Tuesday mid-day. Surface ponding is occurring as runoff is being hindered due to elevated levels of the Lynnhaven and Elizabeth Rivers. Back Bay and the North Landing are seeing significant low levels based on the northerly winds pushing the water south and out to the Currituck and Albemarle. Storm water crews are responding to ponding issues. The police are providing high water traffic control. Impassable roads being listed on our storm webpage.
The duration of Sandy continues to make this storm a significant event. Weather conditions have stabilized and will remain consistent through this evening. After midnight we can expect to see a very slow lessening of the storms wind/rain consistency into some intermittency all day Tuesday.Other highlights from this morning’s staff update:
· We have attached todays 0800 SITREP taken from our WEBEOC reporting database. It gives insight into the myriad actions and issues the departments are wrestling with.
· The Birdneck ES shelter remains open today. Currently reporting @53 individuals enjoying a warm, dry, friendly environment.
· The EOC continues operating under a partial activation.
· City services and staffing will operate under essential conditions beginning throughout Monday. Decisions regarding tomorrows City operational status will be made midafternoon today following our next regional and NWS VTC.
· VB Public Schools are closed today and will also determine their operating status sometime later today.
· The next regional VTC and NMS update is scheduled for 1330 this afternoon.
· It was commented this morning that the winds did not cause our foliage to leave its branches and when Sandy is over we are looking forward to the cornucopia of color our vivid canopy will provide us.
Will keep you advised. Dave
Dave Hansen
Deputy City Manager
City of Virginia Beach
EOC contact # 757-385-0705
(Note: there is a 17 page pdf that goes with this. I am unable to upload at this time.)
#WeLoveShoreDrive 