Community preparedness — Delaware
Nor'easters, coastal flooding, hurricanes, and severe thunderstorms. The First State is small enough that everyone's within reach of help — but only if the networks are in place before the storm. UD Extension in all three counties, CERT teams from Wilmington to Rehoboth, and ham operators who keep Delaware connected.
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Community calendar
CERT trainings, canning workshops, ham radio exams, garden workdays, first aid classes. Events from local organizations that build community resilience.
3
County extension offices
2
NWS forecast offices
10+
Amateur radio clubs
1
Red Cross chapter (Delmarva)
Where to plug in
Delaware's three counties span from the urban Wilmington metro to the agricultural heartland of Kent County to the beach communities of Sussex County. The hazards shift accordingly: New Castle County deals with urban flooding and industrial risk, Kent County faces agricultural drought and river flooding, and Sussex County prepares for coastal storms and nor'easters. Small state, distinct preparedness needs.
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension operates offices in all three counties: the Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown (Sussex County), the Kent County office in Dover, and the Newark campus office (New Castle County). UD Extension also partners with Delaware State University's 1890 Extension programs. Programming covers vegetable gardening, poultry health (Delaware's poultry industry is massive), food safety, financial literacy, 4-H youth development, and community nutrition.
The Master Gardener program trains volunteers who deliver free gardening education at plant clinics and community workshops across all three counties. Extension runs food preservation workshops, integrated pest management education, and cover crop research programs. Sussex County programming emphasizes agriculture and poultry science, while New Castle County focuses on urban horticulture and community nutrition.
The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) coordinates the state's all-hazards emergency program and works through county emergency management offices in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties. Delaware's compact size means state-level coordination is tight, but county-level preparedness varies significantly between the urbanized north and the rural southern counties.
CERT programs are active in all three counties. New Castle County's program trains for urban scenarios including industrial hazmat. Sussex County focuses on hurricane evacuation and coastal storm response — the beach communities of Rehoboth, Dewey, and Bethany are especially vulnerable to storm surge and nor'easter flooding. Training is free and typically runs 8 sessions.
The American Red Cross Delmarva Chapter serves Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The chapter offers first aid, CPR, AED, lifeguarding, and water safety classes across the region year-round. The Delmarva Chapter maintains a strong volunteer base for shelter operations and disaster assessment.
During Superstorm Sandy, the Delmarva Chapter opened shelters and assisted displaced residents along the Delaware Bay coast. Coastal communities in Sussex County have experienced repeated flooding from nor'easters, making the Red Cross a steady presence during storm season. Volunteer entry points include shelter operations, disaster assessment, feeding, and blood drives.
Delaware has about 10 amateur radio clubs in the ARRL Delaware Section, part of the Atlantic Division. Despite the state's small size, ham radio provides critical backup communications during nor'easters and coastal storms when power outages can last for days. ARES teams support county emergency management offices during severe weather activations.
Getting licensed costs $15 for the exam and about $35 for a basic handheld radio. Study at hamstudy.org, then find a local exam session. Clubs in Wilmington, Dover, Newark, and the beach communities host exams regularly.
Two NWS forecast offices serve Delaware: NWS Mt Holly/Philadelphia covers New Castle County and northern Kent County, and NWS Wakefield covers southern Kent County and Sussex County. Each runs SKYWARN spotter training, typically in the spring before severe weather season.
Delaware's weather hazards include nor'easters that produce coastal flooding and beach erosion, tropical remnants pushing storm surge up the Delaware Bay, severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail, and occasional tornadoes. The flat terrain of southern Delaware makes it particularly vulnerable to straight-line winds during severe storms. Training is free and runs about 2 hours.
Delaware has over 30 public library locations overseen by the Delaware Division of Libraries. The Wilmington Public Library, New Castle County Libraries, Kent County Public Library, and Sussex County libraries run community programming including gardening workshops, financial literacy classes, and technology training. Delaware's libraries serve as community meeting points and information hubs.
Delaware Technical Community College operates four campuses across the state: Wilmington (George Campus), Stanton, Dover (Terry Campus), and Georgetown (Owens Campus). Delaware Tech offers affordable continuing education in EMT certification, fire science, welding, HVAC, electrical work, nursing, and other practical programs.
Why this matters
On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy's storm surge pushed water up the Delaware Bay and into coastal communities across Sussex and Kent counties. Beach communities from Fenwick Island to Lewes to Bowers Beach experienced significant flooding. The Port of Wilmington shut down. Power outages spread across all three counties. Tens of thousands of residents were affected.
Delaware's compact size meant that state and county resources could deploy quickly, but it was volunteer networks that handled the neighborhood-level response. CERT teams in Sussex County conducted welfare checks in flooded areas. Ham radio operators provided backup communications for emergency management offices when phone systems were overwhelmed. Volunteer fire companies — the backbone of Delaware's emergency response infrastructure — ran pump operations and evacuations along flooded roads.
Red Cross volunteers opened shelters and distributed supplies to displaced families. Extension agents helped connect agricultural producers in Kent and Sussex counties with disaster recovery resources after saltwater intrusion damaged cropland. Churches and community organizations opened their doors as staging areas.
In a state this small, everyone is close to the coast — and close to each other. The organizations on this page are how Delaware stays connected when the water rises.
The foundation
Community resilience begins with a household that can take care of itself. Cover the first 72 hours, then extend outward to your street, your neighborhood, your town.
Start with the first 72 hours