Governor Jack Markell has declared a Limited State of Emergency in Sussex County, Delaware, effective immediately.  State offices will remain open and no driving restrictions have been implemented.  Drivers should be aware of localized road closures caused by high winds flooding.

In his Limited State of Emergency declaration, Governor Markell noted that state and local officials are taking the necessary steps to prepare for possible evacuations and road closures, though none have been ordered at this time.

Assets of the Delaware National Guard have been deployed to Kent and Sussex Counties to act in support of local efforts.  Governor Markell also reminded residents of flood-prone areas to prepare for possible evacuation and to continue to monitor local media and messages from state and local agencies for updates.

The Delaware Emergency Operations Center is activated with a reduced staff, today, Friday, October 26, 2015; however additional staff are on standby and can be called in if needed.  A Coastal Flood Warning will be in effect from 11:00 PM this evening to 7:00 AM Tuesday (October 6).

The National Weather Service says a high impact weather pattern is affecting our region today into Saturday.  The main threats are major coastal flooding with heavy surf and beach erosion, as well as very strong winds along Atlantic coastal areas.

Moderate to major coastal flooding is expected today and tomorrow along the Atlantic coast, as well as along the lower Delaware Bay.  In addition, moderate coastal flooding is expected on the upper Delaware Bay.  Problems caused by coastal flooding are likely to continue into Sunday, but the threat of coastal flooding from Hurricane Joaquin has been greatly reduced by new forecast tracks that show the storm will move further out to sea.

High winds are accompanying our current storm, and winds along the coast tomorrow could gust up to 40-50 MPH.  This will impact coastal areas, and moderate flooding is anticipated around the time of tonight’s high tide.

The strong northeast winds are expected to continue into at least Saturday, with wind gusts of 25 to 40 mph likely over inland locations, and wind gusts of 45+ mph possible in coastal areas.  Additional rainfall of only one half inch to 2 inches is expected.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) says its crews have been working during the past 24 hours to remove debris along roadways, clear storm drains and grates to reduce the potential for flooding, and have placed portable signs in areas where roads are flooded.

DelDOT reports these roads are closed due to flooding:

Sussex County

Primehook Road closed in Milton

River Road closed in Oak Orchard

Front Street closed in Milford

Nanticoke Road – Water on roadway

Turn Point Road – Water on roadway

Inlet Road – Water on roadway

Mercer Avenue in Oak Orchard – Water on roadway

Kent County

Old Cemetery Road near Route 1 -Water on roadway

Old Cemetery Road and Tubmill Pond Road – Water on roadway

Tubmill Pond Road – Water on roadway.

Market Street in Frederica – Water on roadway

Skeeter Neck Road – Water on roadway

Williamsville Road between Holly Hill Road and Blairs Pond Road – Water on roadway

Prospect Church Road, south of Route 14 – Water on roadway

Deep Grass Lane between Thistlewood Road and Williamsville Road – Water on roadway

Hills Market Road between Route 13 and Sugar Stick Road – Water on roadway

Andrewsville Road between Gallo Road and Prospect Church Road – Water on roadway

Allabands Mill Road between Todds Mill Road and Camden-Wyoming Avenue – Water on

roadway

Killens Pond Road, just north of Bloomfield Road – Water on roadway

South Bowers Beach Road at Webbs Cut-off – Water on roadway

Todds Chapel Road between Hickman Road and Fishers Bridge Road – Water on roadway

Hazlettville Road between Wyoming Mill Road and Artis Drive – Water on roadway

Big Stone Beach Road between New Wharf Road and Greenhouse Road – Water on roadway

New Wharf Road between Big Stone Road and Route 1 – Water on roadway

Deep Grass Lane between Williamsville Road and Rod Club Road – Water on roadway

Barkers Landing Road, just east of South State Street – Water on roadway

Cypress Branch Road, just north of Ponderosa Drive – Water on roadway

John Hurd Road between Spectrum Farms Road and Meredith Road – Water on roadway

 

DelDOT is also monitoring conditions along coastal highways such as Route 1 between Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach, and the Charles W. Cullen Bridge over the Indian River Inlet, and may close portions if necessary.

The speed limit on I-495 has been lowered to 55 MPH.

DART First State buses are on normal schedules statewide.

No large areas of power outages have been reported.

Officials from NASCAR and Dover International Speedway say that Friday activities at the track have been cancelled.  A number of high school football, field hockey, and soccer games have been postponed.  Fans should contact individual schools to determine the status of their games.

For information on school closures, log on to http://schoolclosings.delaware.gov/.

(Smyrna) –  The Delaware Council of Faith Based Partnerships (DCFBP) will host a half-day workshop on Wednesday, June 18, 2014, at the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) offices  in Smyrna.  The Delaware Citizen Corps, which coordinates activities and training for volunteers during emergencies, is working with the DCFBP to conduct the workshop.

The workshop is scheduled to begin with networking and a luncheon at 11:30am.  Delaware Governor Jack Markell, who created the DCFBP through an executive order, will be in attendance and is scheduled to address workshop attendees.  The Reverend David L. Myers, Senior Advisor to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator, and Director, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Faith-based Partnerships, is scheduled to speak to attendees.

Workshop participants will receive an overview of DEMA and its functions during emergency events.  Attendees will also be given an overview of Citizen Corps and Citizen Emergency Response Teams (CERT).  Other workshop topics include: Individual and Family Preparedness, Preparing Houses of Worship for Emergencies, and Service and Partnership Opportunities.

Members of the DCFBP are appointed by the Governor and Lt. Governor and serve as interfaith volunteers.  The Council operates without state funding and partners with government agencies and non-profit groups to address community needs.  Currently, the following faiths are represented on the Council:  African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Episcopalian, Jewish, Latter-day Saints (Mormon), Muslim, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic.

Interested parties can still register to attend the workshop by email by contacting de.cfbp@gmail.com, or by phoning Flora McConkie (302) 633-4825.  There is no fee to attend the workshop.  Seating is limited and reservations close on June 16.

(Smyrna) – The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and Delaware State Police will conduct a quarterly test of the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations Alert and notification system on Tuesday, April 8, 2014.  Sirens will sound between 5:00pm and 9:00pm.

The 37 sirens located within ten miles of the Salem/Hope Creek (New Jersey) plants will be activated for three to five minutes.  The siren tests will be followed by a test message of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on local radio stations.

Sirens that will be tested are the same sirens that would alert the public in the event of an actual emergency at either the Salem or Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations.  In such an emergency, the public would be alerted by the sirens to tune radios to one of the local EAS stations for important emergency instructions.

Wilmington – With the strong possibility Hurricane Sandy will significantly affect Delaware, Governor Markell is urging residents and visitors to prepare for the storm.  A combination of rain, wind and tides indicate the Hurricane Sandy could impact the entire state.

“Evacuation is something I don’t take lightly, given the effect it can have on people’s lives and on people’s business.  A mandatory evacuation of the coastal areas is something that is likely if the storm stays on its current path.  We have not declared a state of emergency but will when it become necessary to declare one,” said Governor Markell.   “Many agencies are planning for our state’s readiness. In the meantime, I am encouraging residents to prepare for their families’ safety.  That means making plans to remain at home for long periods of time, possibly without power or evacuate quickly, if needed.   In other words, be prepared to stay and be prepared to leave.”

“I ask people around Delaware to spend Saturday making sure storm drains are clear and to try to get any leaves up that might get washed into storm drains.  The difference between some neighborhoods flooding or not is going to be whether or not storm drains are clogged by leaves on the ground or leaves that will come down during this storm,” said the Governor.

The Governor talked to reporters by phone late this afternoon from his Wilmington Office, advising residents to fill prescriptions, gather emergency items and get households in order.

Watch/hear the Governor’s comments.

The Governor said residents should have an evacuation destination in mind, especially if they live in a flood-prone or coastal area.   The State, Red Cross, local schools and the counties and City of Wilmington will be working together to identify possible shelter locations and activate them when it becomes necessary.

The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and relevant partners statewide are in communication with the National Weather Service and will continue to regularly monitor conditions.

Up-to-date information from State agencies is available online.

For information on making a household emergency plan and building a supply kit, visit www.prepareDE.org, Ready.gov or Listo.gov . For regional weather updates, visit http://weather.gov/phi.

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In his weekly message, Governor Markell talks about how Delawareans recently came together, first to help build a new home for a non-profit in Sussex County and then to pull together around Hurricane Irene.

“Whether it was the volunteers in the evacuation shelters I visited, the first responders working throughout the storm, or the neighbors cleaning up tornado and flood damage afterwards, the spirit of service that helps define our state – the commitment to making each moment matter – was clear,” Markell says.

The network reality show “Extreme Makeover” came to Sussex County earlier in the month to help drive the construction and capture for broadcast over 1,000 Delawareans, including the Governor and members of his Cabinet, volunteering their time and energy to build several buildings that would become the “Jusst Sooup Ranch.” The energy around the “extreme makeover” gave way to real concerns over extreme weather, as Hurricane Irene approached, then hit, the state.

“Just like so many volunteers did to start the building of that home in Sussex before the storm, when Irene approached, hundreds of thousands of Delawareans quickly pulled together, to protect their own homes and personal safety – taking action before the storm hit, moving quickly to clean up after it passed,” Markell said.

The state has consolidated into place information about recovery assistance that might be available to individuals and six different state agencies have assigned members to join the Governor’s new “Rapid Response Team” which is working to help businesses affected by the Hurricane. Storm and recovery information can be found at: http://governor.delaware.gov/information/storm_resources.shtml

About the Governor’s Weekly Message:

At noon every Friday, a new video message is posted to the Governor’s website and YouTube channel and is distributed to Delaware media outlets. Transcripts of the messages are posted and the audio version of the Governor’s message is available on iTunes as a podcast for distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. The Governor’s weekly message is currently being carried on the air and posted on websites by various media outlets, and the direct link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndiyhWm8lgo.

Constituents, media outlets and others are free to link to the Governor’s video message on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/GovernorMarkell – or on his Facebook page – www.facebook.com/governormarkell – or on the Delaware State website at http://governor.delaware.gov/information/podcast_video.shtml. All are also invited to follow him on Twitter – www.twitter.com/governormarkell – and submit ideas through http://ideas.delaware.gov.