[caption id="attachment_16366" align="alignright" width="300" caption="A close up of damage done by the downed tree in Edgemoor.
Click the image to view more areas around northern Delaware affected by Hurricane Irene."]
Delaware officials are working to see just how much damage Hurricane Irene has done and begin cleaning it up.
Delaware Governor Jack Markell (D) says early reports indicate no fatalities or serious injuries in the wake of the storm and that initial damage estimates appear to be lower than predicted. Markell credits residents heeding the state's mandatory evacuation order for coastal areas and driving restrictions for the lack of injuries or fatalities.
"I want to thank everybody who followed the mandatory evacuation orders and kept off Delaware roadways during the storm," said Markell. There is no doubt your actions saved lives."
Markell lifted the driving ban and mandatory evacuation order for coastal areas Sunday morning, but a limited state of emergency remains as the state works to assess damage. Markell says the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Department of Transportation (DelDOT) are on the ground in each county to visually assess the situation. The priorities for recovering from the storm include restoring power, repairing communications, making sure emergency services are fully operational and able to reach affected areas, reopening schools and other public building and clearing roads.
"We still have a lot of work to do to fully respond, to recover, to repair from the damages that were inflicted by Hurricane Irene," said Markell. "It's going to take some time. Like every other Delaware resident, I want life to get back to normal as soon as possible - and were going to work hard to make that happen - but everyone needs to be a little patient."
Delaware Governor Jack Markell is "very comfortable with the decisions we made" regarding mandatory evacuations and emergency planning. He pointed the ability of emergency responders to help Kent General Hospital deal with flooding that threatened its boilers during the storm as one example where plans worked effectively. Markell also recounted his conversation with a Lewes man whose home was damaged by a tornado Saturday. Markell said the man planned to ride out the storm at that home before hearing the state's evacuation order led him to reconsider and stay with family instead.
"I am so glad we issued that mandatory evacuation order, so glad we followed it, and grateful to the tens and tens of thousands of visitors and Delawareans " said Markell, who also thanked all of the state's first responders and other state employees who worked through the storm and volunteers who helped in shelters and elsewhere.
DelDOT says the Indian River Inlet bridge remains closed to all but emergency vehicles while it is being inspected. DelDOT secretary Shailen Bhatt says sand and debris are being cleared from Route 1 near the span and DelDOT hopes to have a boat in the water later today to completely inspect the bridge.
Elsewhere in Sussex County, county officials say thet have survived the storm in "relatively good shape" with most roads and bridges outside the coastal area passable as of Sunday morning.
“It doesn’t look like we experienced the significant flooding forecasters were predicting, and the damage is certainly not widespread and catastrophic. So that’s the great new in all of this,” said Joseph L. Thomas, director of the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center, in a statement.
The most substantial damage, according to county officials, appears to be in and around the Nassau Station and Tradewind Estates subdivisions southwest of Lewes. Approximately, 50 structures have sustained some type of damage from the reported tornado Saturday evening. Fire officials believe some are beyond repair.
In Wilmington, Mayor James Baker has lifted the mandatory evacuation of the southeast portion of the city, but a state of emergency remains in effect. Those evacuees who took shelter at William Penn High School will be shuttled back to their homes to determine the level of damage, then be given the option of remaining at home or returning to William Penn High.
Wilmington's Emergency Operations Center reports that it handled more than 150 calls overnight and this morning to respond to downed trees and wires, roof damage, vehicles trapped in high water and other storm related issues.
Governor Markell reported that about 43 thousand Delaware residents and businesses were still without power as of 11:30am Wilmington reported it had about 900 of those outages.
