The Middle Peninsula was feeling the impacts of Hurricane Sandy early Sunday as tides began to rise, rain began to fall and winds started to pick up. Residents throughout the area were preparing for the storm by filling up gas cans and stocking their cupboards, leaving some store shelves bare.

Mathews County opened its emergency shelter at Thomas Hunter Middle School at 8 a.m. Sunday and emergency officials in the county issued a mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas.

No shelter had been opened in Gloucester as of mid-day Sunday, however county officials are closely monitoring the storm and will issue emergency announcements and recommend preventative action as needed. The county’s Emergency Operations Center was opened Sunday morning.

School superintendents in both Gloucester and Mathews made the decision early-on to close schools Monday due to the expected weather conditions.

Services were cancelled Sunday at a number of churches, while other congregations me...