Weekend deluge leaves destroyed homes, washed-out roads and at least 1 death

Gov. Glenn Youngkin was in Buchanan County on Sunday afternoon to tour some of the worst damage from a days-long deluge that dumped up to 7 inches of rain in parts of Southwest Virginia, resulting in catastrophic flooding and one death.

The governor — who announced earlier in the day that he had requested an expedited major disaster declaration from President Donald Trump — visited a command center in the Southern Gap area of the county and then traveled to the Slate Creek community and the towns of Grundy and Hurley, according to Del. Will Morefield, who was with the governor.

Morefield, R-Tazewell County, said he had heard that Hurley had sustained some of the worst flooding damage in the region, but he was still shocked by the sight of the town center, where the water had receded to reveal layers of muck and mud.

He said he earlier had called Buchanan County Supervisor Trey Adkins, who represents Hurley, to ask how bad the damage was, and his reply was a simple “Very.”

“When I arrived there today, I didn’t anticipate it being as bad as it is. There’s a lot of mud,” Morefield said.

By Sunday afternoon, some roadways remained flooded, but most of the water had receded, he said.

Across Southwest Virginia, hundreds of roads and bridges are impassable, and homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed, with the worst damage appearing to be in Buchanan, Dickenson and Tazewell counties. All remained under local states of emergency Sunday night.

Morefield confirmed that one death had resulted from flooding in Bland County, but he said he didn’t have much information about that yet.

The weekend’s torrent came after rain, snow and ice covered much of the state earlier in the week, resulting in significant power outages. 

The latest flooding is the fourth major flooding event in Southwest Virginia since the summer of 2021.

Buchanan County saw major flash flooding in the Guesses Fork area near Hurley in August 2021, followed by flash flooding in the Whitewood community in July 2022. Last September, the remnants of Hurricane Helene brought high winds and heavy rain to counties and towns in the area, with the worst damage occurring in the small town of Damascus in Washington County.

Some areas are still recovering from the Helene damage, which decimated a portion of the popular Virginia Creeper Trail and parts of the Appalachian Trail and chewed up 1.5 miles of U.S. 58.

Morefield said he and the governor met with local EMS first responders, members of the county board of supervisors and the county administrator to discuss their immediate needs.

The delegate added that he was encouraged by the governor’s visit.

He said he and the other members of the Southwest legislative delegation have been in close contact with Youngkin over the last couple of days.

“It wasn’t uncommon for us to be calling or texting well after midnight, and so I think with him being so engaged and willing to help, that will make a difference in providing fast assistance to the flood victims,” Morefield said.

Youngkin shared details of his visit on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, calling the flood damage “severe,” and he also pointed to damage in Tazewell and Dickenson counties.

He said there have been more than 150 swift-water rescues in the region over the last couple of days, and he’s grateful for the first responders who were involved.

On Sunday afternoon, a rescue team based in Bristol said on social media that it had responded to a call in Scott County, where the crew rescued the occupants of a vehicle that had gone into the water. Overnight in the Richlands area, the same team rescued 51 people, 17 dogs and eight cats.

A team from the Lynchburg Fire Department spent the night searching the Hurley community for anyone stranded by floodwaters but reported it did not have to conduct any rescues. Chesterfield County Fire and EMS sent a team of 24 firefighters, who searched a flooded hotel and apartment complex in Grundy, according to social media posts from the department. Virginia Beach also sent its swift-water rescue team.

Dickenson County, which borders hard-hit Kentucky, where at least nine people have been confirmed to have died in the flooding, saw significant flooding in the communities of Bear Pen and Bartlick, according to Dana Cronkhite, the county’s economic development director.

Roads and bridges were washed away, and there were mudslides and significant damage to homes and vehicles. A number of residents were trapped when the private bridges to their homes were destroyed, she said.

The Virginia National Guard rescued 25 to 30 people from their homes in those two communities early Sunday, she said. No deaths or injuries were reported.

Many people were on edge because the Russell Fork River, which runs through the town of Haysi, was rising rapidly. It started off at 6 feet early Saturday and crested at more than 21 feet at around 7 p.m., the fifth highest it’s ever been, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Cronkhite said.

Some businesses in Haysi sustained damage, but the extent wasn’t known Sunday.

High water in Clintwood affected a church and some homes, but the water receded quickly, she said.

Dickenson County is taking donations of drinking water, nonperishable foods, toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper towels, mops, buckets, blankets and baby supplies at the Dickenson Center for Education and Research in Clintwood.

Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young said Sunday that his county had just recently come out from under another state of emergency, declared as a result of the flooding damage inflicted by the remnants of Hurricane Helene in late September. A new state of emergency was declared Saturday night, he said.

“We had about a week without an emergency,” he said.

Downed branches and trees that remained from Helene exacerbated the damage from the weekend’s flooding, he said.

The western portion of the county, including the town of Richlands and the Doran community, sustained the most damage, and 57 people had to be evacuated there, the county administrator said. Nearly half of them stayed in the county’s shelter overnight, but most were able to return home Sunday.

The county will move from the search and rescue phase to recovery on Monday, Young said. No deaths had been reported Sunday evening.

Russell County also saw high water from the deluge earlier in the week and over the weekend, including in the Belfast, Cleveland and Lebanon areas.

Washington County also reported flooding, especially near the North Fork of the Holston River, including the Mendota area. The river was at moderate flood stage Sunday night, according to NOAA. County officials could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday night.

The tiny Scott County town of Clinchport, population 64, was cut off from access by high water Sunday evening, according to Duffield Fire and Rescue Chief Roger Carter. The town is close to the overflowing Clinch River.

At around 12:30 p.m., Carter said his team rescued a person from atop a flooded vehicle. Roughly four hours later, a boat was used to rescue someone from a home and take them to a hospital for a medical emergency.

To the north in Wise County, there was ample evidence that roads had been overwashed Saturday, but floodwaters had mostly receded Sunday along the Powell River in the towns of Big Stone Gap and Appalachia. There was still minor flooding beside roadways along the Guest River in the Coeburn area and along the Clinch River in St. Paul.

Jeff Lester contributed information to this report.