As floodwaters receded Monday, Patrick County officials and the Virginia Department of Transportation assessed damage and worked to restore access to roads and bridges affected by weekend flooding in the Claudville and Ararat areas.
Patrick County Emergency Management Director Scottie Cassell said rivers and creeks had nearly returned to normal levels, but several roads remained closed because of extensive damage.
“We still have a couple of roads that are still shut down due to severe damage to bridges. VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) is working on that right now. I went out this morning and checked on a couple of situations we left last night, but they are trying to get all the roads opened back up as quick as possible,” he said.
As of early Monday, Aug. 3, Hollow Road, Rabbit Ridge Road, and Kibler Valley Road remained closed, along with several other roads.
“Anything on the Ararat River that’s got a major bridge,” Cassell said.
Cassell said one washed-out bridge left 12 people stranded on the opposite side of the Ararat River.
“But they decided to shelter in place. We made sure they had everything they needed; they had backup generators, food, and water, and all that there. So, we’ll be figuring out today how to get those individuals out safely now that the water’s gone down and it’s safe to do so,” he said.
Cassell said no deaths or injuries were reported.
“We did lose at least one house due to a landslide,” he said.
The county did not open an emergency shelter because displaced residents were able to stay with family members.
“Luckily a lot of those homes on Kibler Valley were summer homes and they were not occupied at the time. But everybody who stayed there has backup power. I don’t know if they’ve got all of the power restored or not, but AEP (Appalachian Power) has been working around the clock too,” Cassell said.
Although repairs will take time, Cassell praised the efforts of road crews.
“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but they are doing a great job. They were out well past 10 p.m. last night still working on roads. When I went in at 10, they were still hauling rocks and trying to get some more roads opened last night,” he said.
Cassell also said all of the county’s dams have returned to Stage 1, their normal operating level.
“We up the stage when it goes over the spillways, it’s just normal routine. There was never any damage to any of them or any potential failing, we just raised the stage due to the amount of water. They all look great now as far as water levels are. All of them are doing good,” he said.
