Most eyes were on Florence when The Herald went to press Tuesday afternoon, and the storm’s track may have a lot to do with a plethora of planned weekend activities in Botetourt.

The forecast already prompted Lord Botetourt High School officials to move Friday’s Homecoming football game back a day to Thursday (game time is now 6 p.m.). The schools has also tentatively rescheduled its 2018 Hall of Fame induction to the October 19 home game with Northside High School.

James River High School also announced it has moved its football game at Covington back to Thursday, also with a 6 p.m. kickoff.

The last concert of the season at Daleville Town Center was also cancelled with Big Lick Entertainment called off Flat Pickin’ Friday.

Other planned events may be cancelled or postponed as well. Muddy Squirrel co-owner Tim Miller said he will make a decision today (Wednesday) on whether to postponed Saturday’s Buchanan Tri- Road, Ride and River Race, depending on updated forecasts.

The Town of Buchanan’s Pork By The James BBQ Competition has been postponed to a date to be announced on Monday after the hurricane passes. Both events are at Buchanan Town Park.

The Category 4 hurricane had been building steam since the weekend when Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the potential impact from what was then Tropical Storm Florence. By Monday evening he was warning residents that the Commonwealth could be in the path of a catastrophic weather event.

The state of emergency is designed to mobilize resources in preparations of the storm and to help Virginia mitigate any damage and to streamline the process that the Commonwealth uses to provide assistance to other states vulnerable to Florence.

Botetourt officials were also preparing for the hurricane, and encouraged residents to sign up for the Code Red service that provides emergency alerts by phone, text and/or email. Folks can find the link at https://botetourtva.gov/your-government/public-safety/.

Officials were getting updates from the state each day and meeting to be sure they are prepared should heavy wind and rain make their way this far west.

Storm models late Tuesday were still predicting a direct hit on the East Coast— just where exactly remained uncertain as Florence and inland weather patterns created the usual dance that precedes landfall.

Still, most forecast models showed the hurricane hitting somewhere between the South Carolina coast and the Virginia coast.

Models that showed Florence hitting North Carolina predicted the storm winds would lessen as it came ashore but rain would drench inland areas to the west, including the Roanoke and Shenandoah Valleys.

Some models showed there were chances of as much as 6 to 20 inches of rain in some places west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Models that predicted the hurricane would hit further north or south on the coast predict considerably less rain or no rain west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“I expect that the Governor will declare a disaster, County Administrator Gary Larrowe said. “I would also suspect that the county will declare when and if needed.”

Early in the week, Larrowe said Emergency Services were working to top off fuel tanks, sharpen saws and go through the checklists necessary for such a possible disaster.

The National Weather Service (NWS) was predicting life-threatening freshwater flooding   from what it expects to be prolonged and exceptionally heavy rainfall that could extend inland hundreds of miles from the coast since meteorologist believe the hurricane will slow down as it approaches the coast and moves inland.

The NWS Hurricane Center advisory maps suggest Florence will make landfall sometime Thursday night or Friday morning, but that will be preceded by tropical force winds that will reach into the Virginia mountains during the day and into the evening Thursday.

The NWS was predicting Tuesday that the hurricane will downgrade to a tropical storm somewhere inland between South Carolina and Maryland by Friday and on Saturday will be a tropical depression lingering over the Carolinas or Virginia.

“While the impacts of Tropical Storm Florence to Virginia are still uncertain, forecasts increasingly expect the storm to strengthen into a major hurricane that could seriously affect the East Coast and Virginians,” said Gov. Northam over the weekend. “Accordingly, I am declaring a state of emergency so that we can begin to prepare state assets, and I encourage Virginians to monitor forecasts and make their own preparations now.”

A state of emergency allows the Commonwealth to mobilize resources, including the Virginia National Guard, and pre-position people and equipment to assist in storm response and recovery efforts.

While the track of Tropical Storm Florence is still uncertain, it appears increasingly likely that Virginia may see significant impacts from this storm that include possible flooding, high winds and potential storm surge.

The Governor’s Office, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Virginia National Guard, the Virginia State Police, and other state agencies have already begun preparations for the impacts of Tropical Storm Florence.

State agencies are working closely with localities to identify any needs in advance of the storm, and to pre-position resources where they will be most effective. The state Emergency Operations Center is staffed this week in preparation for the storm and will transition into 24/7 operations as needed when the storm approaches.

Electric utilities are also preparing for the expected aftermath of the storm. They have already staged line and pole crews strategically along the East Coast so they can start working after the storm on restoring any power that gets knocked out.

Due to the uncertainty of the storm’s track, VDEM encourages all residents to prepare for impacts from this storm. These can range from high winds and storm surge in coastal Virginia to significant flooding both along the coast and in rivers and streams in the western part of the state. Citizens should remember that flash floods could happen at any time and that flooding is the most deadly and damaging part of any hurricane.

Virginians should remember to “turn around and don’t drown.” Do not drive across any flooded roadway, as it only takes six inches of water to move a vehicle and roads may be washed out beneath the floodwaters.

In advance of the storm, assemble your emergency kit including food, water, medications and pet supplies. To learn more about what to include in your emergency kit and how to prepare for hurricanes, visit www.VAemergency.gov/hurricanes.

The VDEM urges residents to stay tuned to local media to keep close tabs on Hurricane Florence as it approaches the Commonwealth. Be prepared to take action, and know that storm forecast can vary significantly over just a few hours.