City of Danville departments are mobilized for the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, which is moving northward through the Carolinas and will begin impacting the Danville area as early as late tonight. According to the National Weather Service, showers and thunderstorms may begin overnight and continue through Friday morning. 

The rainfall could be moderate to heavy at times, with repeated rounds of rain. Heavy rain will cause ponding of water on streets and possible flooding of urban and low-lying areas, leading to street and road closures and moderate flooding of the Dan River. 

“Danville will be in the area where we are expecting the most rain,” said Vance Joyner, a meteorologist in the Blacksburg office of the National Weather Service. “During a period of 24 to 36 hours, we are expecting Danville to receive between five and eight inches of rain, with the potential for higher amounts if there is banding setting up over your area.” 

Joyner said the biggest change in the last 24 hours is the speed of Debby. “With that, we have some good news,” he said. “We had been expecting Debby to stall out. The newest models have come into agreement that Debby is going to accelerate. The more she accelerates to the north, the quicker we can get the rain out of here and avoid any banding that would set up for hours.” 

Danville is under a flood watch through Friday evening. The Dan River is projected to crest at 29 feet at 2 p.m. Friday. During Tropical Storm Michael in 2018, the river crested at 30.01 feet. The Public Works Department will set up water pumps on River Street to keep the street open, and it has loaded barricades on trucks to deploy if street closures are necessary. A Public Works Department crew will monitor streets overnight. 

To assist in preparations by residents in flood-prone areas, the Public Works Department is providing sand for public use. The sand will be available at the recycling area at South Boston Road and Halifax Road. Sand bags are not being provided. Danville Utilities has arranged for contract electric and tree crews to assist as needed. All crews and staff will be on call. 

Customers are encouraged to review the department’s storm preparation guide: https://danvilleutilities.com/stormguide.pdf 

The Fire Department will have an extra fire engine crew on duty on both the north and south sides of the Dan River to handle first responder calls. Water rescue teams are on standby on the north and south sides of the river. 

Also, if needed, the Fire Department is prepared to open and staff a shelter in conjunction with the Social Services and Parks and Recreation departments. If any resident or visitor needs shelter, then they should call the non-emergency number of the city’s Emergency Communications Center. The number is 434-799-5111, option 8. 

The Parks and Recreation Department has adjusted its programming schedules for this week as follows: 

• The Music at the Market event and accompanying Tossing at the Crossing Cornhole Tournament scheduled for Thursday has been postponed to Aug. 29. 
• The Let’s Glow Crazy event scheduled for Friday at Dan Daniel Memorial Park has also been rescheduled. The free event will now be held on September 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Shelter 16 and the park playground and will feature glow crafts and activities. 
• The Third Avenue and Doyle Thomas splash pads will be closed on Thursday and Friday in anticipation of poor weather. Both attractions will reopen on Saturday. The Third Avenue Splash Pad will also be closed on Wednesday for routine maintenance and cleaning.

Residents and visitors are urged to monitor weather developments and pay attention to any warnings if issued by the National Weather Service.