Situation Report 1: August 7, 2008 Hurricane Strikes Lewes, DE Initial Damage Assessment Suggests Lengthy Recovery

A Category 2 hurricane (Hurricane Georgina) finally made landfall in Lewes, DE last night with the eye passing just west of the central town area about 12:15 am. The National Weather Service (NWS) had been watching this storm for the last 3 days as it moved very slowly up the Atlantic Seaboard. Late yesterday the upper level steering currents shifted such that the storm turned left and headed toward the Delaware Bay and coastline. The storm was still moving at a very slow speed of 5 mph when it made landfall. A hurricane watch has been posted for the Delaware coastline for the last 2 days. A hurricane warning was finally posted last evening at 8 pm. The storm track was north- northwest at the time the eye was in the area. Rainfall totals are approximately 12 inches in the Lewes area.

There are no anemometers that appear to have survived the storm, however the NWS estimates the sustained wind speed was approximately 105 mph. Power outages are reported from Ocean City, MD to Dover, DE. There are widespread outages at the beach areas from the coastline to an area approximately 50 miles inland. Hurricane force winds may have extended as far as 40 miles from the center of the storm. Tropical storm force winds may have extended as far as 80 miles from the center of the storm.

Savannah Road is reported to be full of debris with no traffic allowed in either direction on this road. Traffic is being stopped at Five Points and at the south end of the town’s entry on Route 1 and only emergency and government vehicles are being granted access into town.

Flooding has been reported as extensive and deep particularly inland along the bay front properties. Storm surge has been reported to be as high as 15 ft at the coastline and 8 ft deep 200 yards inland. The passage of the storm coincided with high tide. The recent heavy rainfall during the summer will likely exacerbate the flooding problem and extend the duration of flooding since there will be nowhere for the water to drain. Those who live in low lying areas should contact the local emergency managers or police to find out if access to their home sites has been granted. There are reports of 10 missing persons who may have lost their lives in this flood incident. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

There is no water or sewer service, and at this time there are no estimates for resumption of those services. All citizens are warned that the water systems are probably contaminated and to boil water before drinking. Septic systems in many locations have likely failed because of the depth of flooding. Property owners with septic systems should seek professional inspections to certify their septic systems as safe before resuming use. There are reports of many propane tanks being torn from their foundations or floating to the surface if buried. Property owners should contact their propane supplier prior to resumption of use of this service.

1 The power grid serving Lewes is broken in many locations. Many poles and transformers are broken and lines are down in many places in town, most of them from trees falling across the lines. The town has a cooperative agreement with other communities and will be seeking help with clearing the streets and restoring the power grid.

It is reported that over 3,000 people sought shelter last night due to the late movement of the storm toward the east coast. It is not clear yet, where those people went. There are reports of buildings that might have been shelters being severely damaged. There are reports that the roof of the new Cape Henlopen High School had a roof failure and both the National Guard Center and the elementary school building lost part of the roof and walls collapsed. There are no reports of deaths or injuries in the shelters.

Both the police and fire departments have had to seek temporary quarters as both their buildings were damaged by the storm and both sustained extensive water damage. The local 911 call center is currently not operating. Many cell phone towers are down and only very limited cell phone service is available. Beebe Medical Center fared acceptably except for the loss of a single ply membrane roof over the patient wing. There are reports of broken windows in the nursing school behind the hospital from windborne roof gravel. The hospital is operating without a sanitary sewer system since the city’s sanitary sewer system was flooded during the storm. The emergency room is reported to be functional.

Very preliminary damage assessments put the building damage level at: 8% - severe damage to commercial and residential buildings 25% - moderate damage to commercial and residential buildings 15% - minor damage to commercial and residential buildings

The definitions of these damage categories are: Severe damage – a complete or partial failure in the buildings structural system, almost always with part of the roof involved which allows water entry

Moderate damage – no structural failure but severe building envelope loss such as roof covering partially or completely damaged, windows, doors, walls or roofs broken or penetrated by windborne debris, any condition that would allow water entry

Minor damage - some roof or wall covering loss, loss of roof soffits, damage to utilities or building mechanical equipment

State and local officials are meeting today to continue damage assessments and to determine when the federal government will be asked for assistance and for a declaration as a federal disaster. Senator Biden will visit the area later today and has promised to speak to the President after his visit.

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