Havre de Grace On Hurricane Florence: Water Levels May Rise

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — The city of Havre de Grace is monitoring the track of Hurricane Florence and coordinating with local and county emergency services. While the carnival has been postponed, city officials said that other events planned for the weekend are still happening.

Water levels may be higher than usual for the next several days, according to a statement the city issued Wednesday night.

The Conowingo Dam has 11 spill gates open at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The Susquehanna River was flowing at a rate of 218,000 cubic feet per second.

A coastal flood advisory is in effect until 5 a.m. Friday in Harford County calling for tides that are 1 to 2 feet above normal. High tide will be at 1:31 a.m. Friday in Havre de Grace, and water is expected to go up over the bulkhead at the yacht basin, with 1 foot of water possible in low-lying areas, the National Weather Service advised.

By 5 p.m. Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was 100 miles off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Here is the statement issued by Havre de Grace about Hurricane Florence on Wednesday, Sept. 12:

The latest weather reports indicate Hurricane Florence is likely to make landfall later this week along the U.S. Southeast Coast. As the storm moves closer, the City will closely monitor, prepare and coordinate, with local and county emergency services as necessary. We are anticipating higher-than normal waters along the waterfront and low-lying areas over the course of the next several days.

Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency in Maryland on Monday, allowing the state to get resources ready in the event of storm damage.

As for how it will affect Maryland, the National Weather Service forecasters used some iteration of the word "uncertain" six times in the Baltimore-Washington forecast discussion issued Wednesday afternoon; details about rainfall, timing, tides and track of Hurricane Florence were all up in the air. Forecasters said higher rain chances were likely to the south but "any heavy rain could pose a serious threat given saturated soil conditions and high river levels."

The Havre de Grace High School football team's varsity game has been bumped up from Friday, and will be played Thursday, while the JV game was moved to Monday, school officials announced.

This weekend is an eventful one in the city, so Havre de Grace officials provided an update on the happenings.

Here are the events planned for the weekend and the status as of Wednesday night, according to city officials:

• Carnival on The Chesapeake is postponed; the ride operator withdrew on Sept. 11, officials said, and a rain date will be announced. It was to be held Sept. 12 to 15 originally.
• Susquehanna River Running Festival is still on as of Wednesday night, and emergency officials are holding daily briefings to evaluate conditions and make a determination. The race takes runners from Havre de Grace across the Hatem Bridge to Perryville. It is slated for 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15.
• Havre de Grace Farmers Market is still on for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 15, at Hutchins Park.
• Citywide Yard Sale is still on from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15.
• International Food Truck Festival will occur as scheduled, from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16, at Hutchins Park.

Here are important numbers to keep on hand:

Police non-emergency line: 410-939-2121
Conowingo Dam Spill Hotline: 877-457-2525

Also, get emergency alerts from the City of Havre de Grace: https://harfordcounty.bbcportal.com/

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File photo by Elizabeth Janney. Embedded video courtesy of Gina Holcomb Photography.