Citing dangerous winter storms and flash flooding in parts of Buchanan County and elsewhere over the past week, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has submitted a request for an expedited major disaster declaration to President Donald J. Trump.
The state has reported critical infrastructure damage, more than over 203,000 customers without power and more than 270 roads closed due to low water bridge and road washouts, as well as 9-1-1 center outages.
According to the state, some areas of Southwest Virginia were deluged with more than seven inches of rain. Life-threatening flash flooding occurred across what Youngkin said are some of the state’s most vulnerable and least resourced areas, resulting in historic river crests on the James River and other major waterways.
The towns of Grundy and Hurley in Buchanan County have experienced catastrophic flooding, with the river gauges in these towns spiking historical flood levels.
Youngkin said some of the areas are still recovering from Hurricane Helene.
He said the federal assistance is needed to support the ongoing state and local response and recovery efforts by first responders including the Virginia National Guard, State Police and area fire departments. More than 150 swift water rescues, including evacuations, were made on Sunday alone.
“This is the fifth major flood in this area in the past five years and there is significant damage that is affecting community lifelines,” Youngkin said. “It is critical that we provide relief, and we will certainly take every measure possible to ensure that these areas are able to make a full recovery as quickly as possible.
He said support efforts continue as high water is blocking access to critical facilities, and access to the hardest hit areas is not yet available due to receding water and debris.
Youngkin declared a state of emergency on February 10.
Topics
Flood
Windstorm
Virginia
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