Residents of Western Tidewater know all too well that it doesn’t take a direct hit from a massive hurricane to inflict significant damage. Visits from the remnants of Floyd, Isabel and Irene in the last 20 years are proof of that.

Hurricane Dorian, the mammoth storm that brutalized the Bahamas over the holiday weekend as a terrifying category 5 cyclone, made a turn and began heading north on Tuesday. Current predictions indicate that, unless it heads out to sea, the now category 2 storm will reach our region sometime on Friday after dragging up the coast for two or three days. Those same projections also indicate that we are again unlikely to take a direct hit, but as experience has taught us it is not time to let our guard down as significant impacts may still be felt.

Along with national and regional news outlets, we will continue to monitor and report on new developments as they occur. Until such time as we can hopefully report that an all-clear signal has been given, we encourage our friends and neighbors to remain vigilant in keeping track of the storm and making any necessary preparations. In the meantime, we’ll join you in crossing our fingers in hopes that this turns out to be a non-event here, while praying for the safety and recovery for those who have been significantly impacted.