Richmond, East Coast brace themselves for storms, Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin

Administrators at University of Richmond have already cancelled and relocated many events for Family Weekend, due to potential severe weather. Hurricane Joaquin is aimed to hit the East Coast this weekend, but a separate low-pressure system is what caused administrators to take action, said Brittany Schaal, director of emergency management.

The weather system, which could drop four to six inches of rain between now and Sunday, could hit the Richmond area before Hurricane Joaquin potentially strikes, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

Current forecasts show that Richmond will likely see the most rain from this system between tomorrow morning and Saturday morning, but rain may continue until as late as Monday, Schaal said.

In preparation for the potential storms, University Facilities will be lowering the level of the lake by draining some of the water, Schaal said. The university is also taking other protective measures, including preparing generators and placing sandbags around areas prone to flooding.

Although the school is focused on the low-pressure system, the State of Virginia is preparing for Hurricane Joaquin’s potential impact. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has already issued a state of emergency for Virginia. North Carolina and New Jersey’s governors have also issued states of emergency. Because the path of the hurricane is not yet known, much of the East Coast is making preparations. The New York Times offered a map showing possible landing points.

Hurricane Joaquin rose to “an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane,” according to a bulletin released by the National Hurricane Center at around 2:00 p.m. The hurricane currently sits over the Bahamas.

Slate’s Eric Holthaus hypothesized the worst-case scenario the hurricane could have on Virginia.

“A Category 3 or 4 hurricane landfall in southern Virginia would be catastrophic to a very vulnerable region,” Holthaus writes. “It would be like Hurricane Sandy, only for the Chesapeake Bay area.”

Several local events, including the Virginia State Fair, cancelled activities scheduled for this weekend. The State Fair will close for the remainder of the season, due to “the threat of heavy rain and possible severe weather,” according to a release.

According to University of Richmond’s website:

“We realize there is potential for severe weather in our area over the next few days and are actively tracking the updates. At this point we have moved the outdoor ticketed events to the following indoor venues:

• Senior Cheers! The reception for members of the Class of 2016 and their families will be held in the Heilman Dining Center.
• The Pre-Game Picnic will be held in the Heilman Dining Center.
• The Evening A Cappella Concert will be held in the Cannon Memorial Chapel.

The Golf Outing and the High Ropes Course have been cancelled. If you have registered for either event, you will receive a notification from us.”

In addition, all registered events with alcohol have been cancelled this weekend. "Due to inclement weather we have decided to cancel all events with alcohol this weekend within the apartments for the safety of our students," reads an email Quiona Beason, area coordinator with the Richmond College Dean's Office, sent to students who had registered for an event this weekend.

Richmond’s football team is scheduled to host the University of Maine on Saturday. According to a Friday morning email from Richmond Athletics, the game is still on as scheduled. 

To prepare for the storms, students should charge their phones and laptops and should have a flashlight in case there is a power outage, Schaal said. Students should also have extra food and water in their rooms, she said.

Some parents have either changed travel plans to Richmond or cancelled their trip completely.

David Harry, a Richmond College junior, said his parents, who were going to fly from Denver to Raleigh and then drive to Richmond, cancelled for two reasons: “they cancelled because the drive back to Raleigh on Saturday would have been dangerous due to the weather conditions. In addition, they cancelled because they did not want to deal with flight cancellations and the possibility of getting stuck on the east coast for a couple days.”

Managing editor Brooke Harty contributed to this report

Contact reporter Jack Clark at john.s.clarke@richmond.edu, contact editor-in-chief at jack.nicholson@richmond.edu