Salem High School moved its Friday night football game to Thursday.
Civic Center personnel coordinated with the American Red Cross to ready its shelter with cots and food if needed. And citizens flooded stores to buy out bottled water, milk, batteries and flashlights and cell phone chargers – and chain saws and gasoline – as Hurricane Florence bore upward along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
Meanwhile, Salem’s elected leaders prepared to answer phones and serve where needed. “I will volunteer wherever I’m needed to go,” said Councilman Bill Jones, who has spent hours in the city’s Electric Department answering phones and reassuring citizens during past weather-related emergencies. Mayor Randy Foley said he would pitch in when he returns from an out-of-town meeting.
“We often have citizens very surprised when the mayor answers the phone when they call the Electric Department,” City Manager Kevin Boggess remarked at the work session preceding Monday night’s Salem City Council meeting. The city has an Emergency Preparedness Plan and an area in the Electric Department building on Salem’s Main Street which is used as command central during flooding, major power outages, snowstorms and other emergencies.
Fire and EMS Chief John Prillaman, Police Chief Mike Crawley, Streets & General Maintenance Director Mike Tyler, Electric Department Director A.K. Briele and other department heads all had staff on alert in case they were needed to work around the clock once the hurricane’s winds and rain hit. That was estimated to be Thursday night after press time. Total rain predictions were not so dire by 24 hours after Council’s meeting.
Originally, rainfall was estimated to be between 12 and 25 inches, but was downplayed to around 5 inches by Tuesday afternoon. Prillaman, who is also Salem’s Emergency Management Coordinator, and Communications Director Mike Stevens were in a regional meeting Tuesday morning with fire and EMS chiefs from county, Vinton, Roanoke City and Salem, and other people from Red Cross, Salvation Army, and various utilities in the Roanoke Valley to talk about how they deal with emergency conditions.
“Right now – the main thing we are doing is monitoring the storm, and the city has not made the decision to open an emergency operations center – but we are ready to do so if needed,” Stevens said late Tuesday afternoon. Other points Stevens made were:
·the city’s Swiftwater Rescue teams are ready if they are needed and they will work with Roanoke City
·If conditions look like they will be particularly bad, we will get notes to folks in flood prone areas in advance of the storm’s arrival
·Any road closures and evacuations will be communicated through traditional media outlets, on the city social media platforms and the city website and through the City of Salem Alert System
·Citizens can sign-up for INSTANT INFO through the link provided at www. salemva.gov. INSTANT INFO and social media are the fastest ways to get upto-date info. The alert app is free. “We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst,” Stevens concluded.
Total rain predictions were not so dire 24 hours after Council’s meeting.
Originally, rainfall was estimated to be between 12 and 25 inches, but was downplayed to around five inches by Tuesday afternoon and reduced even farther by Wednesday as the storm took a more southwestern route.
