RICHMOND, Va. -- Governor Ralph Northam has lifted the mandatory evacuation for coastal Virginia following the National Weather Service lifting the tropical storm warning for the region.
The order went into effect at 11 a.m. for residents in Zone A of Hampton Roads, the eastern Shore, Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
“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,” Governor Northam said.
Hurricane Florence made landfall in southern North Carolina, near Wilmington, on Friday morning. The storm is tracking southwestward through South Carolina and then up into eastern Tennessee this weekend.
Remnants of Florence is expected to impact Southwest Virginia with heavy rain and possible flooding this weekend.
“We are shifting our focus to the expected inland flooding and damage to Southwest Virginia as Florence turns north this weekend,” said Northam. “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.”
Northam says individual localities will coordinate the return of their citizens with consideration to flooding and local road conditions.
