Region Girds for Hanna's Heavy Rain

Sandbags, Rescue Teams at the Ready as Tropical Storm Moves Ashore

By David A. Fahrenthold, Michael Laris

Saturday, September 6, 2008

The Washington region yesterday braced for Tropical Storm Hanna, which was forecast to bring between three and seven inches of rain and winds of more than 30 mph, causing officials to open emergency shelters and unload hundreds of sandbags in areas likely to be hit hardest.

Hanna was expected to make landfall in South Carolina overnight and continue churning its way along a northeastern arc affecting much of the Atlantic seaboard. The brunt of the storm was expected to hit the Washington area overnight and through the afternoon. It was predicted to begin tapering off tonight.

In Virginia, shelters were readied in the city of Chesapeake, James City County and other areas that could be most affected. The American Red Cross said it had 2,300 volunteers mobilized in the state, along with 9,600 cots and blankets, and similar preparations have been made in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, said Armond Mascelli, Red Cross vice president of disaster operations.

Southeastern Virginia, Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore were likely to be hardest hit, authorities said. Gov. Martin O'Malley issued an expanded emergency declaration yesterday covering the entire state.

Some isolated areas could get as much as 10 inches of rain. Flooding "could be anywhere," said Edward Hopkins, chief of staff for Maryland's Emergency Management Agency.

Arcs of rain spinning out from Hanna passed through the Outer Banks and southeastern Virginia yesterday as the center of the storm churned northward. An Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter tracked the storm about 645 miles south of the District at 2 p.m. yesterday, and it was headed north at about 20 mph. Hanna is expected to pass about 60 miles east of the District, according to the National Weather Service.

By 8 p.m., Washington streets glistened with light rain, and almost half an inch had fallen at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk. About a quarter of an inch of rain fell in 20 minutes in Melfa, on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Top sustained winds have approached 70 mph, with some higher gusts, making Hanna near hurricane strength, although it was expected to drop off significantly once it hit land, according to the Weather Service.

The first Hanna-affiliated raindrops hit southeastern Virginia about 2 p.m. yesterday, according to the tracking service WeatherBug.

Forecasts predicted a storm that will fall short of the major outbreaks of recent years. Still, emergency preparation authorities — primed by the heavy activity of this year's storm season and the televised drama and massive evacuations connected with Hurricane Gustav — repeatedly called for vigilance, and many groups were quick to cancel activities. Tonight's Rosslyn Jazz Festival was dashed, and Pop Warner football games in the District were scuttled. In Prince George's County, all school activities today, including high school prep football games, have been cancelled.

In Richmond, NASCAR lovers had hoped tonight's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 would roar on as planned, but it and another race Friday were postponed. Some fans, sensing the coming torrent, had rushed to unload tickets below face value

Professional storm watchers tried to put Hanna in historical perspective.

"It's definitely not nice weather, but it shouldn't be compared to the weather we had with Hurricane Isabel," said Mark Hoekzema, chief meteorologist at WeatherBug. The 2003 storm battered parts of the region, closed the federal government, schools and business, and left more than 1 million residents without power. "You hear a lot of stuff . . . about four to eight inches, wind gusts to 60. That type of weather is really not likely in the Washington, D.C., area on the current expected track," he said, adding that most heavily populated parts of the metro region will probably average two to four inches of rain.

Still, even more modest storms, such as Gaston a year later, as well as Hanna, can offer opportunities for bad decisions.

"Most deaths from these types of storms come from flooding, from people driving into floodwaters or falling into rivers . . . and just being careless and not respecting the power of moving water," Hoekzema said. People should "stay away from streams that are running very fast. Use common sense, that's just to stay inside when it's raining really hard. That would go a long way."

In the Washington area, several counties said their staffs were working special shifts to respond to the storm.

In Annapolis, where downtown areas were flooded during Isabel, a spokesman said that the city government had left sandbags out in two locations for home and business owners to use. Special barriers were being put up around the Market House, a City Dock landmark close to the water.

"We're not expecting much," city spokesman Ray Weaver said. "We'd rather overdo it than underdo it."

Of city cleanup crews, he added: "All the gas tanks are topped off. All the chain saws are ready. Everything's ready to go."

In Montgomery County, officials coordinated with hospitals and nursing homes and readied water rescue teams. The Virginia National Guard has high-water trucks and helicopters on standby for rescues if needed, officials said.

The Virginia Department of Transportation yesterday had crews clearing drains. The agency also put tree contractors on standby and was eyeing key tunnels and bridges, especially in the Hampton Roads areas, for flooding. Traffic signal crews are working 12-hour shifts so they can get lights and intersections back up if needed.

Computer models showed Hanna's center on track to pass southeast of the Richmond area, through the Washington region and up the Atlantic seaboard.

Staff writers Philip Rucker, Lena H. Sun and Nikita Stewart, staff researcher Meg Smith and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tagged: Hurricane Hanna, State news, weather

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