RICHMOND, Va. –
Gov. Ralph Northam lifted the mandatory evacuation issued earlier this week.
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The evacuation order was for residents in Zone A of Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore, Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula
Northam announced the decision at 11 a.m. following the National Weather Service lifting the tropical storm warning for coastal Virginia.
“The imminent threat of coastal flooding and high winds have passed for our coastal communities as Hurricane Florence has made landfall in the Carolinas and we believe it is safe for Virginians to begin returning home,” Northam said. “We are shifting our focus to the expected inland flooding and damage to Southwest Virginia as Florence turns north this weekend. We will make determinations in the coming days about the available resources and assistance we can offer to our neighbors in the Carolinas, who are in our thoughts and prayers as they bear the impact of this historic storm. I want to recognize the tireless work of our local, state, and federal partners who have been working around the clock to prepare Virginia for Hurricane Florence and to keep our residents safe.”
ORIGINAL STORY (Sept. 10, 2018)
Gov. Ralph Northam announced mandatory evacuations will be in place for some parts of Virginia as Hurricane Florence approaches.
Coastal Zone A, which contains 245,000 people, is under the evacuation order.
Zone A contains parts of Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.
The evacuations begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Northam said that Zone A is the lowest-lying, most flood-prone area of the four zones.
Three-hundred-thousand people live in Zone B, which officials said they reviewed for evacuations.
Those being evacuated are being told to go inland and move to higher ground.
Officials announced they will not implement the I-64 contraflow plan due to Florence.
Click here to view Virginia's Evacuation Zone Lookup Tool