Virginia governor orders mandatory evacuation for part of state ahead of Hurricane Florence,

Virginia governor orders mandatory evacuation for part of state ahead of Hurricane Florence, emergency management website crashes

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a mandatory evacuation for low-lying coastal areas as Hurricane Florence continues barreling toward the east coast.

Northam said at a press conference Monday afternoon that residents of parts of the the Hampton Roads area and Eastern Shore must begin evacuating by 8 a.m. Tuesday, an order that’s estimated to affect about 245,000 people.

Immediately after the announcement, the state’s emergency management website, which includes zone designations for evacuation plans, crashed, likely due to the increased traffic. Almost an hour after Northam’s announcement, the website was still returning an error message.

Florence is currently a Category 4 hurricane and could ramp up to a Cat. 5 by Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Service, which warned of surges and “exceptionally heavy rainfall” as the storm eventually reaches land.

Governors in North and South Carolina have also issued mandatory evacuation orders in coastal areas.

More: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny-news-virginia-evacuate-hurricane-florence-20180910-story.html




Hurricane Florence is currently a Category 4, but meteorologists warned it could be a Cat. 5 by the time it makes landfall. (AP)