City Preparing for Flooding, Hurricane or Not

Regardless of whether Hurricane Joaquin visits D.C., the city is bracing for heavy rain and flooding this weekend.

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office said today in a press release that the mayor has been briefed by the District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) and city leaders on the forecast for Hurricane Joaquin and the District’s readiness. According to the the release, HSEMA will hold “twice daily briefings” with National Weather Service and agency officials on storm preparation.

The National Weather Service said yesterday that D.C. and the surrounding area could see anywhere from two to five inches of rain between tomorrow and Monday morning.

How can you prepare for the wet weather? Bowser tweeted earlier today that D.C. residents should “take a few mins to clear debris from any storm drains” to avoid basement flooding like the kind seen in Shaw in June.

Likewise, DC Water has urged its customers to prepare for flooding by reporting clogged catch basins near their homes.

Ahead of the #TSJoaquin, help us mitigate flooding by reporting clogged catch basins. https://t.co/rlgNcq96iW pic.twitter.com/vTc2pxwclX

— DC Water (@dcwater) September 30, 2015

While most experts say there’s no need to panic just yet — I’m looking at you, Virginia — the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for D.C. and the surrounding region until Saturday evening.

In other words, if you live in a flood-prone part of town, prepare for leaky basements. But maybe wait a while before going nuts on the toilet paper, bread and milk.

Photo via Flickr/ vlsergey