Coastal cities begin ordering evacuations of high-risk areas

September 17, 2003 12:00 am

The Associated Press
(Norfolk-AP) -- Virginia Beach and Poquoson are the first localities to order mandatory evacuations in some areas of their cities, after getting authorization this morning from Governor Mark Warner as Hurricane Isabel moves closer to North

Carolina and Virginia.

Warner said local governments would decide specific areas to be evacuated and the location and opening of shelters and make the orders effective at 11 am today.

Virginia Beach issued a mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas beginning at that hour. City spokeswoman Diane Roche says that order affects about 26,000 people. The population is Virginia Beach is 430,000. The city asked people to either travel well beyond the projected path of the hurricane, stay with friends or relatives out of the low-lying areas or to go to one of ten city shelters that are set to open at 4 pm.

Poquoson -- which is surrounded by water on three sides -- has ordered its entire population of 11,000 residents to evacuate.

In York County, spokesman Greg Davy says officials decided not to order evacuations but urged residents within the storm surge zone to relocate. The county plans to open three shelters at 8 pm.

Officials in other areas were deciding whether to order evacuations.

Designated jurisdictions include: the town of Chincoteague, the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach and the counties of Accomack, Gloucester, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northampton, Northumberland, Richmond, Westmoreland, and York.