Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency after heavy rainfall and severe flooding affected multiple counties in the southwest part of the state, including Buchanan County.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that another flood has impacted a community still recovering from last year’s flood,” Youngkin, a Republican, said in a statement. “In the wake of the devastation, I want Virginians in Buchanan County to know that we are making every resource available to help those impacted by this storm.
“While rescue and recovery continues, please join me in prayer as we lift up our fellow Virginians impacted by this tragedy.”
A state of emergency enables the state to mobilize resources and deploy personnel to help local authorities deal with the aftermath of the weather event.
Multiple flooding reports in the county triggered road closures and search and rescue operations.
Eighteen groups were helping find and rescue people.
“A lot of roadways are blocked by landslides, bridges, the approaches to those bridges are washed out, so it’s going to take time for that access to be restored to get in, to get into contact with everybody and make sure that everybody has their basic needs taken care of: food, water, shelter, those types of things,” Billy Chrimes, a search and rescue specialist with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, told reporters during a briefing.
While about 44 people were unaccounted for on July 13, everyone was located by early July 14, officials said.
“We were sitting at this post office over here, and the next thing you know, the house is floating on down through there. We thought it was going to wash off. Two of the houses washed off,” a local, Seth Owens, told the broadcaster.
“One of our neighbors’ driveways completely collapsed and fell down the mountain and fell down the creek,” added another, Dominick Fragoso.
