If all goes well, Joaquin will stay away and his images won't matter much.
But should the storm veer into Hampton Roads, the images will be evidence the Army Corps of Engineers uses to makes a case for post-storm federal assistance.
"If there's any significant measure of damage to the beach or the seawall, we need to document it," said Kennedy, a project manager for the corps.
A hurricane as strong as Joaquin -- upgraded to Category 4 on Thursday -- would test a protection system that literally sacrifices beach sand to weaken the surging water as it presses against the concrete Boardwalk.
Underneath the Boardwalk is a 13-year-old stormwater management system that involves a series of pumps and large pipes that redirect stormwater runoff through seven smaller pipes 2,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean.
Kennedy said the beach, which was artificially widened two years ago, is in "excellent shape and we expect it to perform well as storm protection."
That means much of the sand is going to be carried out the sea -- or at least far enough to form what's known as a storm bar.
"The sand is not lost," he said, noting that eventually the waves will bring it back.
While Kennedy was taking his pictures, about two dozen colleagues at the corps' Norfolk headquarters were packing up to move to Richmond today.
The agency also was making plans to respond, as needed, to storm damage, including keeping open key waterways or bridges as well as assisting local governments when requested.
"We don't know exactly what this storm is going to do but want to prepare for the worst case," said Lt. Col. John Drew, Norfolk's deputy commander.
Moving to Richmond puts them closer to the state's emergency operation center, but it also keeps them out of floodwaters.
The corps' office, at Fort Norfolk on the Elizabeth River, could be surrounded by rising water during a storm surge.
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