SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.-A coastal flood warning and a limited state of emergency still remain in effect in Sussex County. The county is continuing to take the brunt of a lingering coastal storm that shows little sign of letting up. Winds are still pushing water into some communities that have sustained days of flooding due to higher than normal tide cycles.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service expect the nor'easter to continue affecting the Delmarva Peninsula Saturday and Sunday. Officials say winds could remain up to 40 mph along the coast, into Sunday, and tides are expected to run as much as 2 to 4 feet above normal.
Hurricane Joaquin is expected to remain well off the East Coast. The hurricane could effect Sussex County beaches with beach erosion with the rough surf.
No evacuation orders or travel restrictions are in place in Sussex County. The county has received reports of some downed trees and branches, with some spotty power outages, but tidal flooding is the most persistent issue. Drivers should be cautious traveling and expect flood waters to affect their communities for several tide cycles through at least Sunday.
"We are continuing to push our way through this storm, and hopefully as the next 24 to 36 hours progress, the conditions will begin to improve," Sussex County Emergency Operations Center Director Joseph L. Thomas said. "But the areas that are flooded now should expect to see that flooding continue through at least the next two or three tide cycles, and after that, as the storm pulls away, some of the water backed up into the bays should begin to drain and conditions should improve."
Sussex County has launched a helpful interactive map showing areas that are likely to experience some type of flooding in this storm event. To view the map, visit http://arcg.is/1M6onAU.
Sussex County offers a variety of social media outlets, which are a great resource for up-to-date storm information. Please follow along at: www.facebook.com/SussexCountyDE, www.facebook.com/SussexCountyEOC, and www.facebook.com/SussexCountyEMS on Facebook; and www.twitter.com/sussexde_govt, www.twitter.com/SussexCtyDE_EOC, and www.twitter.com/SussexCoDE_EMS on Twitter.
For more information, please contact the Sussex County EOC's storm information hotline at (302) 856-7366.
