Things are getting scary here in Wilmington, Delaware during Hurricane Irene.

Right before I filmed this, a tornado warning was issued for some town several miles south of me. A few minutes after I filmed this, the warning included my area. The winds kicked up and began blowing loudly, so I headed for the basement. I still have power, so I have been watching the local news and The Weather Channel.

The Emergency Alert System activated and displayed the tornado warning on my TV. The buzzing chirp of the alert got my attention, but the computer voice describing the warning was scary.

This is not going to be a good night.

Per the latest forecasts, Wilmington, Delaware should receive the strongest force of Hurricane Irene between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM tomorrow morning.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell said Delaware would stop collecting tolls on I-95 at 3 p.m.

At 4 p.m., the bridge over Indian River Inlet closed. Divers will inspect the bridge’s pilings to determine if scouring stormwater has compromised the bridge’s structure.

Gov. Jack Markell ordered driving restrictions statewide. The restrictions forbid non-emergency travel effective at 6 p.m. in Sussex County, 8 p.m. in Kent County, and 10 p.m. in New Castle County. The state Department of Transportation said three of its four bridges over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal will close to all but emergency vehicles at 10 p.m., including the Reedy Point Bridge at Del. 9, the St. Georges Bridge, and the Roth Bridge on Del. 1. The Summit Bridge (Del. 896/U.S. 301) will remain open until sustained winds reached sustained 45 miles per hour.

It is nothing nice out there!

(Note: I keep losing my YouTube upload connection. Video posts are delayed.)

YouTube is S L O W. A lot of people must be uploading Hurricane Irene videos. Here’s the latest from Wilmington, Delaware.

Not much has changed. It has been raining steadily for 5 hours. Winds are getting stronger.

Things are getting progressively worse in Wilmington, Delaware. Hurricane Irene is now bringing heavy rain and about 15 mph winds.

2:00 PM Hurricane Irene video post. Just saw that the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning, in addition to the exiting hurricane warning and tornado watch.

For my followers who are not on the east coast, I am attempting to post hourly video of Hurricane Irene as it moves toward and through Delaware. I will try to post as long as I can. – SMK