PAY NOW ... OR PAY LATER

It’s wise to brace for the worst possible outcomes from storm threats and recalculate as circumstances change

Hurricane Florence may be remembered here as the storm that seemed to swerve around the 757 area code.

We’re sure there’s a meteorological explanation for why the storm veered south of its forecast path toward Hampton Roads into the Carolinas, before turning northeast into Central Virginia, Maryland and the remaining Northeast.

Regardless, we dodged the worst the storm had to offer.

Of course, significant flooding in neighboring states and regions will take months, if not years, to recover from. So we are thankful that our coastal community was spared from the storm’s harshest winds and rain.

Still, the preparations this region’s residents, local government officials and businesses took in the days prior to Florence’s landfall were not for naught.

If the full storm had hit Hampton Roads — which had been forecast in the days prior to its arrival — the consequences may have been worse than what’s being seen in North Carolina. Our population density, low-lying neighborhoods and limited evacuation routes all would have created challenges.

The government must balance on a tightrope of caution. Spend taxpayer money prior to the storm to open shelters and urging people to evacuate, or wait until after the storm has hit to spend those dollars on emergency rescues? We urge an abundance of caution, and therefore, prefer the former.

Virginia state agencies may end up spending more than $60 million preparing for the worst of what the storm had to offer. A portion of that cost, though, could be used as Virginia’s resources are directed into the Carolinas to help with rescue and recovery efforts there. Some of those costs may be reimbursed by those states.

Virginia officials also believe the federal government will reimburse portions of the bill because President Donald Trump declared our state a disaster area in advance of the storm, and because federal officials agreed with the decision to evacuate residents living in Zone A.

Ultimately, Hurricane Florence was an expensive storm to prepare for. But given the weight of the tax dollars spent in one hand compared to the toll of life potentially lost had we not prepared — the money does not seem so heavy after all.

Sound the horns

“Doe, a deer, a female deer (Re!) ray, a drop of golden sun (Mi!) me, a name I call myself (Fa!) far, a long, long way to run ...”

If you can sing along with those lyrics, then there’s little doubt you’re familiar with the song performed during the hit film and musical “The Sound of Music.”

In Newport News, you might want to think twice about turning the volume up on the von Trapp family. Your neighbors just might call the police.

Council members agreed Sept. 11 to strengthen the city’s noise ordinance, making it easier for officers to write summonses if neighbors can hear your surround sound, boombox or band rehearsal from inside their home or car with the doors and windows closed.

The ordinance includes sound production and reproduction devices, including televisions, speaker systems, musical instruments and car speakers.

Specifically, the ordinance says it’s unlawful to play, use or operate a device that makes noise that is “plainly audible” from within a neighbor’s home.

Plan on bumping one of Virginia’s two state songs — “Our Great Virginia” and “Sweet Virginia Breeze” — in your car with those subwoofers? Think again.

Officers will no longer need to take decibel measurements. If they can hear noise from one home while within another, that’s a violation of the ordinance.

City Council discussed the issue at meetings over several months, stemming from complaints about — we’re not joking — a church’s music being played too loud.

The Book of Psalms tells Christians to praise God thusly: “Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.”

Before you do that, better make sure those chapel walls are soundproof.

Disobeying the ordinance is a Class 3 misdemeanor which comes with a maximum $500 fine. A second offense is a Class 2 misdemeanor that can land guilty offenders in jail for up to six months and a fine of up to $1,000.

The city’s use of this ordinance will surely require officers to make judgment calls each Sunday morning, especially in those churches tucked into residential neighborhoods.

We urge you to contact your Newport News City Council representatives to let them know what you think of the amended ordinance. Their contact information can be found at nnva.gov/271/CityCouncil.