Seeking safety
Hanna, Ike bearing down on East CoastNorfolk, Mayport ships prepare to flee stormsBy Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 5, 2008 6:51:28 EDT
NORFOLK, Va. — Atlantic Fleet ships have been told to be ready to get out to sea or find a safe haven by Friday morning and avoid Tropical Storm Hanna, now expected to arrive off Mayport, Fla., on Friday and could hit Hampton Roads by Saturday.
Navy personnel and families also are advised to review evacuation procedures, according to a notice from Rear Adm. Mark Boensel, commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.
Boensel set Hurricane Condition 3, meaning destructive winds are expected in the next 48 hours.
Around midday Thursday, Vice Adm. Mel Williams, commander of 2nd Fleet, set Sortie Condition B, putting orders to Hampton Roads-based ships to be ready to get off the pier in less than a day. As a rule, ships are safer at sea than tied up at the waterfront, “where high winds and storm surges could act to cause damage to both the ship and the pier,” according to a notice from 2nd Fleet.
Current storm tracks place Hanna on a path toward Wilmington, N.C., then north toward Hampton Roads and beyond. Another potentially stronger storm, Hurricane Ike, follows close behind from the Atlantic. On Thursday morning, the storm was listed by the National Weather Service as a Category 4, which could be very destructive ashore, although it is expected to weaken somewhat.
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http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/09/navy_stormsortie_090408w/%2e