9/13 10 am Tybee Update on Hurricane Florence:
At the bottom of this message is the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Based on this information and the projections about storm surge, wind and other impacts, Tybee is not under an evacuation order at this time.
The modeling suggests it is possible that we could experience tropical storm force winds as early as late this evening. If we are to experience tropical storm force winds, it is more likely that these would begin affecting Tybee late on Friday. As the Chatham Emergency Management Agency Director started yesterday at their press briefing, anyone who wishes to leave the Island until the storm passes may obviously choose to do so. We would advise that you take a close look at the projected path and information about expected rainfall amounts and avoid heading into the areas where heavy rains are expected from the storm.
Our beaches remain closed to swimmers.
In light of the fluctuations associated with Florence, we will continue to monitor the storm closely and encourage you to do the same.
We will see some water level rise in conjunction with Florence. Last night at high tide, water levels at the Fort Pulaski tide gauge were about 6 inches higher than the predicted tide levels. High tide is around noon today. Tides are at this time back to normal levels. We don’t expect that Highway 80 will be covered with water but will watch it closely to ensure everyone’s safety. If you would like to obtain tide and water level information at Fort Pulaski in real time, go to https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/waterlevels.html…. Highway 80 floods at around 9.6 feet.
We went through 4000 sand bags yesterday. Although we have plenty of sand, we are out of bags. More bags have been ordered and will be here today. When they arrive, we will send out another message.
Should we experience extended power outages, we have back up systems in place to ensure that our water and sewer systems will continue to function.
For any friends or relatives who do not have access to Facebook to receive these messages, please direct them to the City’s website as all messages are cut and pasted onto the website (www.cityoftybee.org).
We will provide another update after the 2 pm NHC update unless another one is warranted in the interim.
