Well, Hanna is a little more than a thunderstorm. I see you said you haven't lived in the area long, so you might be surprised at how much damage even a minor storm like Hanna can do in the Hampton Roads area. Yeah, I've seen just Nor-Easters stronger than Hanna but still--they're not fun and can be dangerous.

One Nor-Easter with 50mph winds left us without power for 3 days back in '98, so even a TS can do some damage.

The issue in that area is more of one to do with flooding, too. And power outages. You'd be surprised at how much flooding can occur and where. Remember, you're living now in a city who's highest point is the former trash dump!

Factor in the tendencies of the news stations in the Hampton Roads area to make everything into a "meteorological disaster," and you've got packed stores.

Living in that area, you should always be prepared to lose power in storms. It seems to be a chronic problem--and Dominion Power is not known for it's quick fixes.