New series: Hurricanes, evacuation, data, and the Northern Neck

The state kicked off hurricane season—June 1 to November 30—with a new hurricane and other disaster and emergency evacuation plan. "Know Your Zone" (#KnowYourZoneVA) tiers evacuation zones for areas on the coast. It "is designed to enhance current evacuation plans, boost public safety, and improve travel efficiency in the event of hurricanes or other disasters." (Governor McAuliffe Urges Coastal Virginians to "Know Your Zone" For Safer Hurricane Evacuations (PDF))

#KnowYourZoneVA simplifies communicating with the public about storm and disaster risk and the need to evacuate across the 23 localities making up coastal Virginia. According to Jeff Stern, State Coordinator of Emergency Management, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, "The old system was a patchwork of instructions, Stern says. Each of the 23 localities that make up Hampton Roads, Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula and the Eastern Shore had its own designations, so it was difficult to tell the entire region what was the best course of action." (New Virginia hurricane preparedness plans call for evacuation by zones)

So what about the Northern Neck? The majority of Northern Neck land and water are not zoned at all. Of land and water which are zoned, very little of the Northern Neck is in the highest risk zone (A, blue). More is in Zone B (green) (more on this in future posts). But this doesn't mean hurricanes won't negatively impact the region. As residents well know, the Northern Neck is no stranger to hurricanes. The National Weather Service Wakefield Office's history of hurricanes on the eastern seaboard (PDF) wrote this:

2006 September 1 ERNESTO... At some locations on the Middle Peninsula, Northern Neck and Eastern Shore, the tidal flooding and damage rivaled that from Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Power outages were widespread across Virginia's Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.

2011 August 27 Irene... Although Irene passed east of the Mid Atlantic Coast, the most substantial wind damage occurred in a swath from Caroline and Westmoreland counties... Winds estimated between 70 and 80 mph downed many trees, blocked roads and caused widespread power outages.

This series will consider a variety of hurricane and other disaster-related topics including the #KnowYourZoneVA and storm surge maps, flood insurance policies and claims, history of hurricanes affecting the Northern Neck, and what makes for good crisis communications.

This is the first in a series of posts about threats and risks, especially during hurricane season.