The Nor’easter that blew into Hampton Roads Wednesday afternoon may be one for the record books – but hopefully residents will exercise common sense and stay safe.
The greatest hazard to human life during Nor’easters and other severe coastal storms is drowning while behind the wheel. The National Weather Service says that more than half of all storm-related drownings come when someone drives into water.
“People underestimate the force and power of water. Many of the deaths occur in automobiles as they are swept downstream,” the weather service says on its Web site. “Of these drownings, many are preventable, but too many people continue to drive around the barriers that warn you the road is flooded.”
In Norfolk, city emergency managers are urging drivers to be especially cautious both Thursday and Friday from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., WAVY-TV reported. These times are when tides are expected to reach their apex.
Typically, in Norfolk, these streets flood: Hampton Boulevard north of Old Dominion University, Tidewater Drive south of Brambleton Avenue, and large parts of the Hague, Willoughby, East Ocean View, Larchmont and Edgewater.
The weather service has these suggestions to avoid drowning in a storm:
• Listen to NOAA weather radio or another trusted news source
• If flooding occurs, get to higher ground
• Avoid areas already flooded and don’t try to cross flowing water
• Don’t drive on flooded roadways; the road may be washed out
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers.
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Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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