Some parts of Hampton Roads got as much rain Thursday night as they’d see in the entire month, soaking water-logged lawns and forcing drivers to creep along flooded roads, according to the National Weather Service.

By Jaedda Armstrong Hurt Hall at Camp Pendleton was in an uproar. Phones rang, people yelled, eyes were glued to laptop monitors. In the front of the room, a huge screen tracked a 155 mph hurricane that had touched down a few hours before. A rescue mission was in full effect.

Hurricane season is here. To motivate Virginians to prepare for the season's start today, the state waived the 5 percent state and local sales tax on emergency essentials, such as water, batteries and portable generators, for the past week. Some shoppers took the bait, but local merchants said business was steady or slow last week, similar to the May 2008 tax holiday.

The 2009 storm season is here. The best way to come out ahead after a hurricane is to take a few simple precautions before the storm. Here are some tips to make sure your family is ready – just in case.
 
DEVELOP A FAMILY PLAN
Discuss the kinds of hazards that could affect your family. Know how your home can stand up to storm surge, flooding and wind.

BY ESTES THOMPSON

RALEIGH, N.C.  The 2009 hurricane season will be less active than last year's flurry of storms, and there's less than a 50 percent chance that a hurricane will hit the southeastern U.S., a researcher said Thursday.

On the Gulf Coast, however, there is a 70 percent chance a hurricane will make landfall.

SUFFOLK A jury awarded a verdict of less than $500,000 on Friday to a plaintiff who had asked for nearly $5 million after having had a home damaged by mold as a result of rains from Hurricane Isabel.

Forecasters are predicting a storm with winds of up to 50 miles per hour developing off of Cape Hatteras Tuesday night. Early wind forecasts are predicting winds of up to 40 miles per hour with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour, said Dare County emergency management coordinator Sandy Sanderson.

NORFOLK When Seaman Daniel Miles first flew into Galveston, Texas, a week ago from the amphibious assault ship Nassau, he didn’t see the damage from Hurricane Ike that was depicted in news reports. “Up top, everything looked OK,” he said Saturday, upon returning to Norfolk Naval Station. “Once we got down on the ground, we saw the water damage.”

NORFOLK A low-pressure system that formed off the coast of South Carolina, combined with high pressure to the northeast, will continue to bring gusty winds to Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina overnight.

Lt. j.g. Jason Evans of the Coast Guard station in Elizabeth City was among many responders who saw Hurricane Ike’s devastation in the Gulf Coast up close.