Residents urged to take direction from State, Local, and Tribal officials
WASHINGTON – FEMA, through its regional offices in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, and Oakland, and its Pacific Area Office in Honolulu, continues to closely monitor Tropical Storm Hermine and Hurricane Lester.
FEMA remains in close coordination with state emergency managers in Hawaii, and throughout the entire East Coast, as well as meteorologists at the National Weather Service forecast offices. Through the National Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC), FEMA is actively engaged with national level private sector officials across the nation.
Tropical Storm Hermine
According to the National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Hermine is located 60 miles west- northwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. A Tropical Storm warning is in effect from Surf City, North Carolina, to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and a Tropical Storm watch is in effect north of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to west of Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
Tropical Storm Hermine may cause localized flooding and flash flooding possible, along with storm surge and tide could produce potentially life-threatening inundation along the next 24 hours in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area. There is danger for life threatening storm surge in the next 48 hours for coastal locations between the North Carolina and Virginia border and Bridgeport, Connecticut. Rainfall of 1-3 inches from Florida to North Carolina, 4-7 inches from North Carolina to Maryland, and 1-4 inches from Delaware to New Jersey and New York.
FEMA liaison officers deployed to the emergency operations center in Virginia to help coordinate any requests for federal assistance. A FEMA liaison officer deployed to the Maryland Emergency Operations Center today.
Additionally, a FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) deployed to the Florida Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. A FEMA IMAT will also arrive in the Virginia Emergency Operations Center on Sunday mid-morning. The RRCC will activate to level III by mid-morning Sunday.
Hurricane Lester
According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Lester was located about 205 miles east- northeast of Hilo, Hawaii with maximum sustained winds were 100 mph with gradual weakening forecast over the next 48 hours. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Maui County and Oahu.
FEMA established a staging area in Kona, Hawaii to pre-position supplies closer to impacted areas, should they be needed and requested by the state, for distribution by state and local officials. More than 45,000 liters of water, 37,000 meals, along with generators and other supplies are in the staging area.
One FEMA IMAT is staged in FEMA’s Pacific Area Office in Honolulu, to support response activities and ensure there are no unmet needs. An additional FEMA IMAT has been placed on alert and is prepared to deploy to Hawaii if necessary. Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) personnel and pre-positioned communications caches are also deployed to Honolulu, to support emergency response communications needs.
Safety Tips
FEMA encourages residents and visitors in areas potentially affected by Tropical Storm Hermine or Hurricane Lester to monitor local radio or TV stations for updated emergency information, and follow the instructions of state, local, and tribal officials.
Storm tracks can change quickly and unexpectedly, so coastal residents should monitor weather conditions and take steps to prepare their home, family, and business. Those in potentially affected areas should be familiar with evacuation routes, have a communications plan, keep a battery-powered radio handy and have a plan for their pets.
There is the potential for flooding and storm surge with Tropical Storm Hermine and Hurricane Lester. Driving through a flooded area can be extremely hazardous. Nearly half of all flash flood deaths happen in vehicles. Stay safe when in your car, by watching for flooding in low lying areas, at bridges and highway dips. As little as 6 inches of water may cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Storm surge poses a significant threat for drowning and can sometimes cut off evacuation routes, so do not delay leaving if an evacuation is ordered for your area.
Visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov to learn more about preparing for hurricanes and severe weather.
###
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.
Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.