It's the water, not the wind The largest threat to life from hurricanes is not the high winds. This includes resources from Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Health, Virginia National Guard and others. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency late Saturday in order to mobilize personnel and resources for storm impacts, and to speed the response to those communities that are damaged by the storm. Virginia emergency managers and first responders are already mobilizing to prepare for the storm. While it is too soon to know the exact track that Hurricane Florence will take, the majority of forecast models are indicating significant potential impacts to Virginia in the form of coastal storm surge, catastrophic inland flooding, high winds and possible widespread power outages. Totals from other states weren't available as of Monday morning. In South Carolina today, about 750 National Guard members were expected on duty. The governors of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have declared states of emergency. With Virginia under a state of emergency, and forecasts showing Florence zeroing in on the Mid-Atlantic, the time for all Virginians to prepare is now, officials said. Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) teams have worked throughout the weekend preparing for what may be Virginia's most significant hurricane event in decades. Emergency preparations have been underway over the weekend in Virginia and other southeastern states in advance of an anticipated strike this week by Hurricane Florence.

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