VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.— We continue to keep a close watch on Hurricane Ian as it makes its way toward Virginia. News 3 caught up with city leaders in Virginia Beach on how they're preparing for the impacts of the storm.
One of the things city crews here in Virginia Beach have done is put berms along the Oceanfront at Grommet Island Park to mitigate the impacts of beach erosion.
"Nor'easters they give us a lot more problems than hurricanes, and the way I'm watching this thing that could be what we get," said Drew Lankford, Virginia Beach Public Works PIO.
Leading city crews in Virginia Beach to prepare, one concern is flooding across the region.
"In the areas that we think could be more trouble that's one of the first places we went and checked the storm drains," said Lankford.
Crews are keeping a close eye on areas along the water that are known to flood, including certain areas on the oceanfront, the hilltop area, and along Rosemont Road.
"We'll have several extra vacuum trucks, and we will have overnight crews ready to come in if needed," said Lankford.
We stopped by the grocery store to see if shoppers were picking up food. That's where we met Lydia Nickerson.
"We got bread, milk, baby formula, ground turkey and pasta so we can have meals to stretch for the next couple of weeks," said Nickerson.
"Did you come out Thursday to beat the crowds?" we asked.
"Yeah, we did because we know as soon as people hear rain around here it gets crazy in the store. People have to get their bread and milk, so of course, we had to hurry up and beat everybody before everyone got off work and got in the store," said Nickerson.
Just down the road, Kroger's parking lot was filled with shoppers. Virginia Beach native, Alicia Husle, tells us she's not too worried.
"I've lived here since I was born, and nothing crazy has ever happened to my house. You just get a little rain and wind, and you buy some groceries," said Husle.
Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a State of Emergency in Virginia, so emergency management leaders are checking in with response crews to ensure they have all the resources they might need.
