VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Public Works crews spent all day Thursday preparing for heavy rain and strong wind gusts.
Matt Forehand said he’s worked for the city for the past 14 years. He cleans out storm drains to minimize flooding. He said he found a lot of things that didn’t belong there on Thursday.
“We found a slab of concrete earlier," Forehand said. "Then we found some bricks and that bag was on the side of it so the water will push it into the drain and that would cause blockage.
Officials said, based on weather conditions, there will be a rise of the Back Bay water surface elevation that will produce roadway flooding.
Leaders believe water surface levels are expected to rise approximately 2.3 feet at the Beggars Bridge monitoring site and are estimated to remain above two feet. That is depending on the wind intensity and direction.
Forehand said storms like this create a long workday for him.
“We could be here until midnight. We could be here tomorrow morning but that is our job,” he said.
It’s a job that needs to get done. Forehand said he will continue working hard until the storm passes.
“When the call comes in, we go. That’s all there is to it. It’s like a firefighter, you get a call they go,” Forehand explained.