ROANOKE, Va. – What’s left of Hurricane Ida is quickly making its way toward Southwest Virginia.
“That’s the concern with all of this, this just fast rain it just, it can build up so quickly and cause problems,” AAA Spokesperson Morgan Dean said.
Roanoke County Fire and Rescue is one of the many agencies in our region stepping up staffing tonight ahead of the storm.
“We have boats we have people we have equipment,” Community Outreach Coordinator Brian Clingenpeel said.
The department’s swift water rescue team is also on standby, it has the ability to clear downed trees and rescue those impacted by flooding.
“We always tell people things like Turn Around, Don’t Drown we know you get tired of hearing that, but we continue to say it, because people continue to drive into flooded roadways, just about every flooding event we have, we see that happen,” Clingenpeel said.
AAA also wants to advise drivers to stay off the roads until the storm is clear.
“The dangers of flooding tropical systems like this can drop so much rain in such a short period of time, it quickly becomes runoff and starts ponding and paddling and lifting up out of creeks, out of ditches right onto the roadway,” Dean said.
And as Ida’s remnants get closer to our region, officials want to remind everyone the best time to prepare for what’s to come is right now.
“This is the time to start to mentally prepare and kind of play through some of those scenarios with you and your family, we kind of find that people who do the what ifs thing are a little bit more prepared than the people who just go it’s not gonna happen,” Clingenpeel said.
Other ways to prepare for the storm are to make sure your electronics are charged , any outdoor furniture is tied down or put away, and when possible stay home and off the roads.