“We started yesterday looking at storm drainage and curb and guttering,” Roanoke Rapids Public Works Director Larry Chalker said this morning. “We have other crews preparing generators. Our crews clear streets for emergency responders. We're running every generator we have today. We're going over everything.”

Officially, Chalker said, “We're in emergency mode.”

(The city has current weather information on its website at this link)

Since the flooding of 2012, Chalker said the city has made major improvements to Rochelle Pond. “We've stabilized the outfall pipe. The project has been completed. We've opened the valves and Rochelle Pond has been dropping overnight.”

The Rochelle Pond project is one of many the city undertook in the aftermath of the 2012 flood, he said. “We've shored up everything we can.”

The problem, however, with the possibility of 7 inches of rain ahead of Joaquin, the city is sure other weak spots will show up. “Department heads are going to meet. We have an emergency management conference call.”

Chalker said the last few tracks of Joaquin bring it closer to the Outer Banks. “We're waiting for the next updated track from the National Weather Service. We're hoping for the best and planning for the worst. We're going to be ready to respond.”

Compared to the heavy rains over the last few days, the 2012 flooding was a freak event. “Two-thousand and twelve was a freak event. It was not associated with a hurricane. It only rained in our city,” Chalker said. “It was just dry all around us.”

With more rain on the way, Chalker said, “It's important to pay attention to the weather forecast.”

Halifax County Emergency Services Director Phil Ricks said the county will participate in a conference call at 1 p.m. “We have flash flood watches in effect through Sunday and we expect rain later today.”

Meanwhile, The Weather Channel reported the following today:

Hurricane Joaquin's center is located about 65 miles southeast of San Salvador in the central Bahamas.

Maximum sustained winds are estimated at 120 mph, a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Joaquin is undergoing rapid intensification that may bring it to Category 4 intensity sometime today.

This system is moving slowly to the west-southwest and this is expected to continue through today before turning north Friday into Saturday.

Hurricane watches and warnings are in effect for a large part of the Bahamas, where life-threatening conditions are expected in some areas.

Joaquin may directly or indirectly affect the East Coast late this weekend or early next week, and landfall is possible.

Moisture, energy or a combination of both associated with Joaquin could enhance rainfall along the cold front in the Northeast late this week. Regardless, the East Coast will see significant impacts from the larger scale weather pattern taking shape.