(WAVY) — When most people think about hurricanes, they think about the giant waves at the coast, the strong winds and the flooding that happens thanks to storm surge. However, even inland – hurricanes can still pose significant threats.
It’s important to be prepared, even if you don’t live at the coast. Winds in a hurricane can extend hundreds of miles inland – and so can the rain. One of the biggest threats with hurricanes is heavy rain.
Learn your flood risk – find out if your neighborhood is in a flood zone if the rivers/creeks were to rise. Even if you don’t live near a river, it’s important to make sure storm drains are clean of debris – and your gutters are clean before a storm approaches. Hurricanes can also produce heavy rain that ponds in your yard – and if enough of it pools in one area it could flood your garage or structure.
In Virginia, we have seem many times the impacts heavy rain from tropical systems can bring. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd flooded the town of Franklin. The slow moving storm dropped several inches of rain, causing the Blackwater River to rise to a record flood stage of 26.5ft. Extensive flooding also occured along the Chowan River basin, Meherrin and Nottoway Rivers.
In 1969, Hurricane Camile made landfall in Missipppi, but the remants moved up into Virginia. Heavy rain fell in the mountains, causing extensive flooding downstream.
Hurricanes can also spawn tornadoes, which can occur well inland. These can form quickly, often with little warning in a tropical system, producing localized areas of more extensive damage.
