Ocean City, MD (9-10-2018): Worcester County Emergency Services (WCES) officials are urging locals and visitors to prepare now for Hurricane Florence, which is strengthening as it moves toward the U.S.’ East Coast as a Category 4 hurricane. It is expected to reach our region on Thursday evening, and rain is expected to continue through Saturday.
In the case of a hurricane, citizens should always be prepared with an evacuation plan: The first storm preparedness step should be to visit www.co.worcester.md.us and click on Know Your Zone to view a copy of the Worcester County Evacuation Zone Maps, with tips to create a family preparedness plan, or visit www.knowyourzonemd.com and enter your address.
“Worcester County is mapped into three evacuation zones, from greatest to least risk of threat from wind speed, storm intensity, and storm surge, which causes flooding,” WCES Director Fred Webster said. “Zone A, in pink identifies addresses most at risk. Zone B is orange, and Zone C is green and includes addresses least at risk. Addresses further inland that are not color coded are not expected to evacuate in any storm scenario.”
Know Your Zone in Worcester County is part of a recently introduced Maryland mapping program. In the event that WCES issues evacuation orders, zones to be evacuated would be announced by both traditional media outlets, the County website, Facebook, and Twitter.
Those residing in either low-lying, flood prone areas or mobile homes should make preparations now for the possibility of evacuating due to the current weather forecasts for our area.
WCES officials will continue to monitor the track of Hurricane Florence and keep residents and visitors updated on potential storm impacts to the area.
