Chesapeake Bay News

As of August 26, 2011, residents of the Chesapeake Bay region remained on high alert as hurricane warnings were in effect for parts of the bay.

The forecast for Hurricane Irene includes heavy winds, rain, storm surge, flooding and possible storm damage.

A state of emergency was in effect for both Maryland and Virginia and evacuation plans remain in effect for many areas.

For the latest information, visit the National Hurricane Center website at : http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Virginia Marine Resources Commissioner Steven G. Bowman has temporarily lifted the time-of-day restrictions on the commercial harvest of crabs, in order to give crabbers plenty of time to get their gear out of the water before Hurricane Irene hits Virginia. The powerful storm is expected to make landfall in Virginia on Sunday.

Commercial crabbing hours at this time of year are limited to 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those daily harvest hour limits will not apply for Thursday Aug. 25 through Saturday Aug. 27, 2011.

Lifting the time of day restrictions on the commercial harvest of crabs is permitted under Regulation 270, Section 30: “D. The lawful daily time periods for the commercial harvest of crabs by crab pot or peeler pot may be rescinded by the Commissioner of Marine Resources when he determines that a pending weather event is sufficient cause for the removal of crab pots from the tidal waters of the Commonwealth.”

source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission

NOAA’s National Weather Service has completed the testing phase for a new 1000-watt NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards transmitter, increasing service to areas that had limited or no coverage along the Virginia and Lower Maryland Eastern Shores. Now life-saving watch and warning services will be available to recreational and commercial mariners navigating the Atlantic coastal waters in this area.

This transmitter will serve Accomack and Northampton Counties in Virginia, including the cities of Wachapreague and Chincoteague. It will also serve Somerset and Worcester Counties in Maryland, including Pocomoke City and the Atlantic coastal waters between Ocean City, Md., and Oyster, Va. The transmitter will broadcast on a frequency of 162.525 MHz, usually Channel 6 on most NOAA Weather Radio receivers.

“NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is vitally important for both recreational and commercial boaters navigating the Atlantic coastal waters,” said William Sammler, warning coordination meteorologist at the forecast office in Wakefield, Va. “Weather can change quickly and now everyone will be able to keep tuned to the latest forecasts and watches and warnings ? and take appropriate action.”

The new transmitter is located in Mappsville, Va., on a tower owned by Accomack County. Funding for the transmitter was secured by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management using a $59,900 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service, and $16,640 from the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Management Performance Grant. USDA has awarded 99 grants from its Weather Radio Transmitter Grant Program to extend the coverage of NOAA Weather Radio into rural America.

source: National Weather Service

On Sunday afternoon, 7/25/ 2010, the Coast Guard responded to 37 distress calls resulting in more than 77 people assisted or rescued after a severe thunderstorm developed in the Chesapeake Bay.

At 3:05 p.m., the National Weather Service Radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing destructive winds in excess of 70 mph. A marine broadcast was issued to notify mariners to seek shelter immediately.

At approximately 3:25 p.m., Sector Baltimore watchstanders received the first call notifying them that vessels were being affected by the storm. Within minutes, multiple calls came in to the command center.

Damaging wind gusts, frequent cloud to ground lightning strikes and unstable sea conditions began to create a dangerous situation for mariners.

Within a two hour period, eight Coast Guard response boatcrews from six different small boat stations, including Stations Stillpond, Station Oxford, Station St. Inigoes, Station Curtis Bay, Station Annapolis and Station Washington, D.C., began responding to the distress calls. Distress cases spanned from the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to as far south as Colonial Beach, Md., to include the Potomac River.

Some of the rescue efforts included:

Coast Guard Station Oxford boatcrews rescued two people from a capsized kayak near Cambridge Creek, Md.

Station Annapolis boatcrews rescued three personal water craft operators who were located clinging to a buoy near Herring Bay, Md.

Station St. Inigoes rescued five people located in the water after their raft capsized near St. George’s Island. With the use of a translator, St. Inigoes crewmembers were also able to rescue a Spanish speaking family aboard a 30-foot pleasure craft that was disabled near Colonial Beach.

“I have been working this job for more than five years, and I have never seen this happen before,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Stanley, a search and rescue coordinator at Sector Baltimore.

“Storms can turn a normal day out on the boat to a battle of life and death, in one case we literally had victims clinging to a buoy for life,” said Chief Petty Officer Keith Moore an operations specialist at Sector Baltimore. “This is what we train for; this is why we are here. However, in an emergency as large as this was, a number of unprepared mariners can take a toll and create a very difficult situation for all responders. We could not have done this alone; we are incredibly thankful to our state and local agencies for helping us carry the burden of such a difficult mission.”

The Coast Guard urges mariners to pay close attention to the weather reports and weather advisories prior to and while boating. Mariners should take appropriate action when a storm is nearing by leaving affected areas, returning to marinas and safe haven as soon as possible.

source: USCG press release