Emergency services personnel calling for preparedness as Ida sweeps through
DELMARVA – As the remnants of storm Ida roll through Delmarva, emergency services officials say that we’re not even at the peak of hurricane season yet. They say if you haven’t already taken some time to prepare for extreme weather, you should now.
Director of Wicomico County Emergency Services David Shipley says before the storm even hits, people should always have a three day emergency kit on hand. “The height is the middle of August through the middle of October, and we’re not there yet. You can see this spike on the graph. Don’t let your guard down because nothing has happened,” said Shipley.
For parts of northern Delmarva, there’s a risk of wind damage, flooding, and even tornadoes. “Tornadoes can be nature’s most violent storm,” said Shipley. “What you should do, is if you’re outside, go inside immediately. Go to the basement. You’ve probably heard this before, but everybody says go to that bathroom that’s in the center of the house.”
If you’re caught in the car in a high risk weather situation, Shipley says you should never try to outrun a tornado or drive through a flooded area. “Flash flooding can occur in a current or stream where you’ve never seen it swollen by water before, and it could be fast moving now,” said Shipley.
Those fast-moving and ever changing conditions have turned out to be a hallmark of Ida. “It quickly strengthened. It became a major hurricane, and when it made landfall in southern Louisiana, it was a category four hurricane,” said 47ABC Meteorologist Sloane Haines.
Sloane says as the hurricane made landfall, it tried to regain its strength through a process called eye wall replacement. “Eye wall replacement means that the storm is trying to strengthen itself. It’s sort of like a battery recharging. It’s trying to get stronger,” said Sloane. “I like to say that the Gulf is like bath water. That’s how hot the ocean temperatures are there. Hot, warm ocean temperatures is fuel to a fire for a tropical storm system, and it gives it the energy it needs.”
But, as Sloane explains, Ida’s storm clouds do have a silver lining. “By the time people are out and about, say 8 or 9 a.m. Thursday morning, drier weather, the skies are beginning to clear. So, the good news is there’s some calm after the storm, too,” said Sloane.
