UPDATE – 12:50 p.m.
SUFFOLK, VA (July 8, 2021) Suffolk Parks & Recreation will be closing all of their summer camps at 3 p.m. today, Thursday, July 8th due to the potential impacts of Tropical Storm Elsa. Staff are in the process of contacting parents and care providers of the early closure.
Cypress Park Pool will not be open for Open Swim today.
The Poetry, Prose, and Pizza event scheduled for the Suffolk Art Gallery tonight has been canceled.
CITY OF SUFFOLK PREPARATIONS FOR TROPICAL STORM ELSA
SUFFOLK, VA (July 8, 2021) City Manager Albert S. Moor II met with Department Heads and Public Safety officials this morning, Thursday, July 8th, related to local emergency measures in order to ensure the safety of our citizens and the group will continue to closely monitor the weather event and take any necessary actions moving forward.
Currently, the City of Suffolk and surrounding areas are under a Tropical Storm Warning. The forecast for Suffolk is calling for 1 to 2 inches of rain with the highest level of rain coming today between 2 p.m. and 12 a.m. Winds will be increasing during the day up to an estimated sustained 20 miles per hour mark with gusts up to 32 miles per hour. There may be some urban flooding and runoff issues depending upon severity of rainfall. There also is a chance of isolated tornadoes from this storm.
City equipment and staff stand at the ready to respond to situations involving downed trees, debris and flooding issues with all known normal high water spots having been checked for blockages and open drainage ways. Public Works Roadway Operations will have overnight Rapid Response Teams staffed and available in each of the four Maintenance Headquarters beginning at 8 p.m. today.
Suffolk Police and Suffolk Fire & Rescue have increased staffing for needs that may arise as a result of the storm.
City staff will have liberal leave for all non-Alpha personnel starting at 12 p.m. today, Thursday, July 8th.
Whether related to Tropical Storm Elsa or other potential severe weather events during hurricane season, now is the time for our citizens to prepare and review their emergency kits and evacuations plans. For resources and tips, visit www.ready.gov/plan and www.ready.gov/kit.
During weather or other emergencies affecting the City of Suffolk, residents have several methods to obtain and/or receive information related to road closures and other updates from the City and Emergency Management. Those methods include:
Suffolk Mass Notification System – www.suffolkva.us/SuffolkNotify – Residents can sign up for alerts delivered via email, phone, or text. This system enables us to provide critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected major road closures, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods. There is also an option for weather alerts from the National Weather Service.
City social media -- Facebook (@suffolkva) and Twitter (@CityofSuffolk)
Suffolk Police Department social media – Facebook (@suffolkpolicedepartment)
Suffolk Fire & Rescue social media – Facebook (@suffolkfirerescue)
Nextdoor – The City of Suffolk, Suffolk Police, and Suffolk Fire & Rescue have the ability to post messages to all Suffolk members of Nextdoor regardless of neighborhood.
City of Suffolk Website – During an emergency, an alert link will be up at the top of the homepage and every page on the site. Additionally, under City Spotlights, information from news releases from the City will be posted and updated.
Suffolk Municipal Channel – Spectrum Channel 190. Information will be displayed on the Bulletin Board portion of programming. For those without Spectrum TV, the channel is streamed live 24/7 at this link: http://suffolkva.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=2