VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hampton Roads residents felt strong wind gusts Wednesday, prompting warnings for extra precautions. In Virginia Beach, first responders also took measures to ensure community safety.
The Virginia Beach Fire Department is prepared for the storm expected on Wednesday. They emphasized their strategy may involve using alternative tools rather than solely relying on their ladder truck.
According to the department, ladder trucks cannot be operated when wind speeds exceed 35 miles per hour. Instead, firefighters will use ground-based ladders during adverse weather conditions.
"We plan for events like this," Ned Lowery with the Virginia Beach Fire Department, said. "We expect that if winds reach projected levels, there could be downed wires or traffic accidents due to strong gusts. We'll respond to the calls we receive as needed.”
Dominion Energy is also prepared for potential outages. A spokesperson advised that strong winds could bring down tree branches onto power lines.
“Tree limbs could very well fall on power lines, and that’s a primary concern for us,” Tim Eberly with Dominion Energy said.
Dominion follows the same 35 mph guideline regarding using their bucket trucks, which may extend response times for restoring power.
“If we’re addressing an outage in a specific area, you may notice trucks standing by," Eberly said. "This could be because the winds are too high for safe operations.”
With winds expected to intensify in the evening, Dominion Energy anticipates a prompt response to reported outages.
Residents can easily report any outages via the Dominion Energy app.
