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.
City to discuss private property and Marlin Bay extension next to PHP at next Council Meeting
“If the lots are built upon and the road extended, “unfortunately it would sour the overall project,” said Christy Everett, regional director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.”
More press about 100% of Pleasure House Point not being preserved.
“Pleasure House Point Faces New Development
… plans have quietly moved ahead to build duplexes and extend a road through two areas in the tract, known as Pleasure House Point.”
Turns out there’s a loophole in the celebrated purchase and preservation of Pleasure House Point, the largest undeveloped tract left on the Lynnhaven River, loaded with sand dunes, maritime forest and waterfront vistas.
Note the amount of trees and vital habitat that is at risk for destruction. Birds, including those migrating in the Atlantic Flyway, depend on Pleasure House Point and it’s open space to survive.
Partial shot of 1 page of plans shown upside down.
“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.
“We will hold the Grand Illumination of the Historic Cape Henry Lighthouse this year on 30 Nov at 5 p.m. The event will be open to the public this year.”
Please share this Info.
If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks!
Scott Mohr
Public Affairs Officer
Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story
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.
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- Photo of First Landing State Park and bike path looking west during Super Storm Sandy Oct 2012.
“You can contribute to LRNow’s Oyster Restoration work by shopping at the new Whole Foods Store on Laskin Road on Thursday, November 1. Thank you for your continuing support! “
On Thursday, November 1, the new Virginia Beach Whole Foods Store will donate 5% of the day’s profit to Lynnhaven River NOW to help us continue our oyster restoration work in the Lynnhaven River.
How’d they win?
This magnificent video:
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.)
LESNER BRIDGE CLOSED. SHORE DRIVE FLOODED IN NORMAL SPOT AT MARLIN BAY
Note: this info is from several different people.
UPDATE: 10:29am Both 385-5000 Public Safety and 385-3111 Information confirm Lesner Bridge is “closed”.
Editors note: I’m viewing traffic traveling both directions on Shore Drive in front of Salty C’s.
High Tides for Lynnhaven Inlet and Storm Info
Everyone,
I googled Virginia Beach Tide Chart and found a site “Sunny Day Guide” which provides a tide chart for VB. From their basic tide time, you have to add or subtract a correction for your specific area. The correction for Lynnhaven Inlet is Basic+48 minutes. The corrected high tide for today (Oct 29) will be 10:02 am and 10:31 pm. The corrected high tide for tomorrow will be 10:49 am and 11:07 pm. I hope everyone fares well and stays dry. Be careful and please watch for any down power lines. If there are down power lines in the area, don’t touch anything metal (fence, etc) or even wood like tree limbs. If the voltage is high enough, a wet tree limb can transmit enough voltage to kill you (saw it at a Dominion Power public demo). Be careful. Please watch out for your neighbors who may be by themselves.
If you experience any damage from the storm, take pictures to document the damage for insurance purposes before you remove it.If you have a lot of damage, separate the damaged material into three piles; mulchible (tree limbs, branches), building material (drywall, carpeting, rugs, etc; and then if you have “white goods” like refrigerators, freezers, lawnmowers, powered equipment, put that in a separate pile because of the possible hazardous material (oil, gas, freon, etc). Do not put everything in one pile, or the city will let it sit there for some time before it can be sorted out.
City Manager’s Sunday Briefing Package
Click here for 22 Page Briefing
Helpful Election Information
The following handouts may be helpful voters in the November 6th election. The informaiton has been gathered from neutral sources and should provide details regarding the two Virginia Constitutional Amendments and show the ballot that will be presented on November 6th.
Please read over both documents to help you make choices prior to the actual election.
VA State Board of Elections Brochure – http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/Files/Cast%20Your%20Ballot/Candidate%20List/201211ConstitutionalAmendmentsBrochure.pdf
Sample Ballot – http://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/voter-registrar/Documents/110612_Sample_Ballot.pdf
SDCC MONDAY OCT 29 MEETING CANCELLED
(Sorry about all the updates today)
Saturday afternoon updates from City Manager presentation including Sandy Flood Surge Risk Area Map for Lynhaven Basin
From VBGov.com Hurricane Sandy Page
City Manager Powerpoint Saturday Afternoon Presentation (23 page PDF)
City Manager Update #7 – Schools closed Monday and more
From an email:
This morning’s 1000 City Manager’s update on Hurricane Sandy’s observed and projected impacts to Virginia Beach remain reasonably consistent with our last two updates.
Our most significant issue remains tidal stacking within the Lynnhaven and Elizabeth River basins creating a high risk for low level residential flooding. This morning’s high tide within the Lynnhaven was as predicted @ 2 -2 ½ feet above normal. We observed road inundation in many of the waterfront low lying areas within the Lynnhaven and Rudee basins. We will be closely monitoring the endangered neighborhoods and we are continuing our use of Reverse 911 VB Alert system to notify residents of the risk in those specific neighborhoods. The results of these efforts are being posted on our Hurricane Sandy webpage. Staff continues developing Sandy specific inundation maps to better identify impacts. The number of above high/low tide cycles stacking within the Lynnhaven, Elizabeth and Rudee basin leads us to project that properties whose elevation is below 6 feet above sea level are at great risk to tidal inundation. 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.
Sustained wind projections have increased slightly but still will not reach hurricane force and sustained tropical force winds (39-74mph) may be reached. We do however anticipate tropical force gusts that may occasionally reach 60 mph. As the storm remains offshore and is hooking around VB we will begin to experience consistent wind this afternoon. The extended severity of this nor’eastercane will set in early this afternoon and remain consistent thru tomorrow afternoon. Dom Power reported customer outages has grown to 2500.
Storm surge poses our third threat. Atlantic wave height projection has grown to +15 feet; Bay wave height has grown to 9 feet. Beach erosion will definitely be significant. This morning’s waves on high tide lapped at the base of the Grommet Park berm.
Rain is our 4th threat. Some areas of the City may receive up to 7 inches. This is a slight increase in the projection. Surface ponding will occur as runoff will be hindered due to elevated levels of the Lynnhaven, Elizabeth and North Landing Rivers. Back Bay is seeing significant low levels based on the northerly winds pushing the water south and out to the Currituck. Storm water crews are responding to ponding issues. The police are bringing in additional assets to assist in high water traffic control. We are working on a reporting tool to post this data on the Hurricane Sandy webpage
Duration of Sandy continues to make this storm a significant event. Weather conditions continue to deteriorate and stretch into the new work week. The most intense period of the storm has lengthened and is projected to be Sunday afternoon thru Tuesday early morning. During this intense period will see sustained winds just touching the threshold for tropical storms.
Decisions made at this morning’s meeting:
· The Birdneck ES shelter opened on time this morning at 10AM.
· The EOC will operate under a partial activation effective 1200 (noon) today.
· City services and staffing will operate under essential conditions beginning 0600 Monday until further notice.
· VB Public Schools have just notified the EOC they will be closed Monday.
· The next City Manager staff update is 5PM today.
Will keep you advised. Dave
Emphasis ours.
Boat Ramp high tide #1 this morning.
Boat Ramp low tide #1
(Note: the tide photos were not necessarily taken at peak hi and peak lo)
#WeLoveShoreDrive 