State of Delaware

On a Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., Gov. Jack Markell is at his office in Dover. He’s been awake since 5 a.m., having already completed a live interview on CNBC at 7 a.m. in Wilmington.

Coastal Delaware began its recovery from Hurricane Irene on Sunday, dealing with localized flooding and power outages, as well as downed trees and broken limbs. Gov. Jack Markell lifted a travel ban and evacuation orders for at-risk areas as of 11 a.m. on Aug. 28, advising caution for those who did choose to travel.

From Ocean View Police Chief Ken McLaughlin (7 a.m. Sunday):

At this time, no damage to property has been reported in Ocean View.  Power outage remains east of West Avenue in Ocean View and throughout Bethany Beach.

From Ocean View Police Department (11:45 p.m.):

Over the past hour, winds and rain subsided.  Police patrols were initiated and all roadways in town are reported to be open.  Power is still out on the east side of West Avenue and in Bethany Beach.  Many trees have fallen, however, at this time there has been no report of damage.

UPDATED (8:45 p.m.) Conditions in Ocean View remain the same.  Reports have been received that a tornado touched down in the Lewes area and 15 homes were damaged/destroyed.

The National Guard has assigned a unit to the OV EOC.  National Guard troops will be paired with OVPD officers during morning patrols.

Level 2 driving restrictions will be in place in Sussex County starting at 6 p.m.; then in Kent County starting from 8 p.m.; and in New Castle County starting from 10 p.m. This means that non-emergency travel will be prohibited.   Those who are evacuating from flooding or flood-prone areas, including to shelters, are exempt.
 

Indian River Inlet Bridge closing, conditions deteriorating as Irene approaches

As conditions across Delmarva have started to deteriorate with the approach of Hurricane Irene, the Delaware Department of Transportation has announced that the Indian River Inlet Bridge could be closed as early as 3 p.m. on Saturday but would definitely be closed by 4 p.m.

Hurricane Irene begins making its way into Sussex County
Those evacuating at-risk areas should be out; conditions will worsen quickly as day progresses

The National Weather Service has issued a Hurricane Warning and Flood Watch for the area, as Hurricane Irene comes ashore and heads toward Delmarva. The storm has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, but it remains near Category 2 strength, with winds near 100 mph.

The evacuation of Sussex County’s most vulnerable areas continued Friday evening as Hurricane Irene, now slightly weaker but still a very dangerous storm, remained on a collision course with the eastern United States, including Sussex County and the rest of Delaware.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and Schell Brothers will be suspending their Delaware build effective at midnight on Saturday (Friday into Saturday).

Hurricane response crews from the USGS have installed storm-surge sensors at key locations along the North Carolina coast in advance of Hurricane Irene. And now, they are actively consulting with federal and state partners about the need for similar equipment for other coastal areas, including the Chesapeake Bay, the Delaware Bay, Long Island Sound and even as far north as Cape Cod.

On Friday, Aug. 26, Sussex County Superior Court Judge William C. Carpenter Jr. sentenced former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley to 14 consecutive life sentences in prison for the 14 counts of rape in the first-degree that he was found guilty of in June. 

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has declared a mandatory evacuation for much of the Coastal Point readership area. Everyone in towns including Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, North Bethany, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Long Neck, Oak Orchard, and Broadkill, Primehook and Slaughter beaches is being required to evacuate prior to 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27.

As of a final update from state emergency officials for Thursday night, the projected path of Hurricane Irene continued to place the powerful storm slightly to the east of Delaware’s Atlantic Coast, however, emergency management officials and their partners were advising the public to take precautions and to be prepared to enact their household and business emergency plans as it moves closer.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell issued an evacuation order for visitors in Sussex County on Thursday evening as the most significant tropical threat to the region in years continued its march toward the East Coast, expected to bring with it hurricane-force winds, catastrophic tidal flooding and torrential rains throughout much of the weekend.

Due to the impending and potentially very dangerous Hurricane Irene, all those who planned to visit Delaware the weekend of Aug. 26-28 are being urged to postpone plans immediately. Gov. Jack Markell and emergency management officials stated mid-day Thursday that weather conditions will not allow safe travel and lodging in the beach areas and possibly throughout other areas of the state.

The newest family on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is a family who has already given everything to serve Sussex County.

The sentencing of former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley on child sex-abuse charges is scheduled to begin this Friday, Aug. 26, at the Sussex County Superior Courthouse in Georgetown.

Don’t know what to do with that ugly old bridesmaid dress? How about that old VCR? Here’s a thought — throw it in the ocean!

Route 113 will get some improvements after all, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation. That announcement came this week, after Sussex County legislators and DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt met recently to discuss future improvements to the U.S. Route 113 corridor.

The Delaware Department of Transportation is reminding the public — and  especially mariners — of an impending work activity associated with the ongoing Indian River Inlet Bridge construction, which will mean an 8-hour closure for the inlet overnight between Sunday and Monday.
 

On Aug. 4, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell met with Hong Kuk Kim, chairman of the South Korean poultry operation Harim Group, which recently successfully bid $48 million to buy the assets of Allen Family Foods after the company went into bankruptcy.

Although the rain was not coming down quite as hard as it had on July 4, according to Bob Powell of the Millville Volunteer Fire Company, it was still “raining cats and dogs” on Tuesday afternoon, and the thunder and lightning of the sudden storm caused the fire company to shut their engine bays for a time to keep everyone safe.

Emergency officials were preparing mid-week for an anticipated spike in the heat wave that hit the area early this week, with temperatures expected to be at or above 100 degrees Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 21-23. They were urging residents and visitors alike to monitor the weather and take precautions for their health and safety.

State Rep. Deborah Hudson (R-Fairthorne) and the Delaware Department of Transportation are both proposing changes to how the agency determines what development projects warrant traffic studies.

There is hope for the future of Delaware, Gov. Jack Markell said after the 146th General Assembly closed its final session for 2011 on June 30 and he signed a balanced budget July 1. In the face of financial uncertainty and years of economic frailty, he said his vision for the future will stay constant as it has been – focusing on creating jobs and stronger schools.

On June 23, Delaware Superior Court Judge William C. Carpenter Jr. found former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley guilty on all 24 counts against him — 14 counts of rape in the first-degree, five counts of assault in the second degree and five counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

Last June, the University of Delaware commissioned a 256-foot Gamesa wind turbine at its Lewes campus. Since then the university has been doing various studies involving the turbine, including studying the impact of turbines on avian and bat populations.

U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Rep. John Carney (all D-Del.) this week welcomed an announcement that NRG/Bluewater Wind had extended the deadline in their agreement with Delmarva Power for an additional three months.