POQUOSON -- There will be no students in school Thursday, no customers at some businesses. The desisions in Poquoson came before a coastal storm makes a full-on grab for Hampton Roads.
"Just been a very busy day," says Beverly Ward, owner of Sheffield's Grocery. "We've been selling a lot of boots, whether bubble boots, hip boots, oilskins."
The Poquoson native tells 13News kerosene lamps, oil, and manual can openers are among other items moving off her shelves. Several people began driving their cars out of low-lying areas as early as Tuesday night to make sure flood waters didn't reach them. As part of Ward's storm preps, she moves items located on the floor or in other low spots to places where they're less likely to be damaged. The effects of Hurricane Isabel in 2003 left Sheffield's Grocery under three feet of water.
"Just do what you have to do, and go on," says Ward.
Strong winds Wednesday night presented a challenge for Poquoson firefighters as they worked a large fire in a garage on Church Road. It added to a less-than-ideal situation. The garage contained different gasses which the owner uses in his heating/air conditioning business, as well as ammunition.
With winds expected to be bad for awhile, emergency workers may have to contend with them again, as well as flooded streets.
"The water can get deep enough that we're not able to put our vehicles into it, but we try to do the best that we can," Fire Chief Robert Holloway, Jr. says. "The engine operators know what they can do, and, so, if they think they can get a truck in, we'll do it, and if they can't, we'll step back and do something else."
If the storm leaves damage similar to Isabel, Ward will do the same thing she did back in 2003: "Just scrub down the walls, the floors, and clean the shelves, and go on."
