Evacuations of East Coast

At 6 o'clock this evening, I grinned to myself when I saw that Ocean City, Maryland had declared a mandatory evacuation beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.  (That's an hour ago, my time...) I also went to the Accomack County website to see what had been decided about Chincoteague Island residents - that's why I was grinning.  The Emergency Management Service had announced a voluntary evacuation of those people living in mobile homes. I know that a lot of old-timers and true 'Teaguers won't want to leave the island.  I just checked the EMS website again, and found that the evacuation orders are now mandatory for everyone who lives in areas deemed low-lying, beginning at 8 a.m. Friday.  If you look at the map on the Accomack County website, you will see that other than about a half-mile stretch on either side of US 13, every place must be evacuated.  I'm sure the same is true of Northampton County as well.  I do know that the Sandbridge section of Virginia Beach, which is built on a sandbar in the Chesapeake Bay, is also being evacuated.  I feel deeply for all the folks who are being discommoded by Irene! From the northern coast of South Carolina all the way up to Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont, governors have already declared states of emergency.  And President Obama has already declared North Carolina a disaster area, so that FEMA and other agencies will be ready to provide aid as soon as they can.  Irene is certainly stirring folks up!