Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 19, 1994 TAG: 9408190082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Then they climbed into the back of the truck, pulled the covers over themselves and tried to get some sleep. But all they could really do was wait.
"We were so scared," said Doris Horton, "we sat there all night long and just watched the house."
The Allisonia couple planned to wait for the flood waters of the rising New River to reach the second-to-last step of their porch before unhooking the boat, floating to the front door and going inside to collect their valuables.
Luckily for the Hortons, the water reached only the fourth step.
After what remained of tropical storm Beryl passed through Southwest Virginia on Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for the New River from Galax to Radford and Glen Lyn. The river originally was expected to crest at levels not seen since 1905, but the warning later was amended for lower crests. The lower-than-expected flood levels left most people along the New River less than dry, but thankful that conditions were not worse.
The Hortons, who have lived in their riverfront home for a year, had just finished months of improvements to the 5-year-old house when the rain came and the river began to rise.
After the river crested early Thursday, the Hortons and Doris' mother, Hortense Southern, assessed the damage.
The water came halfway up the stilts supporting the house, washing away freshly planted grass, tall yellow and orange marigolds and a host of flowers on the front yard along the river. At one point, said Doris Horton, the water covered the new wooden fence along the sides of their property, as well as a 9-ton white flint rock Ranza had hauled in from Floyd County for lawn decoration.
The three watched strange objects float past them on the river - entire trees, a pontoon boat, a pillow, "great big snakes" and even a shoebox with a mouse clinging to the top.
"I'll have mud up to my knees, but at least it's not in the house," Doris Horton said. "From what the radio said we were going to get, it made me real nervous. But it pays to be ready."
Down the road, Clark and Carla Higgins had just arrived at their house, which they built three years ago. The couple and their young son had spent the night in a hotel after the road to their house was closed by floodwaters.
"This is the fourth flood we've had in three years," Clark Higgins said. "We have a lot of pretty days out here but these kind of days make you wonder."
After hearing the warnings about the river cresting so high, the couple moved all their furniture to the third floor of their home.
"Fortunately, [the floodwaters] stayed in the basement," Clark Higgins said. "If this flood would have been what they said, it probably would've flooded the [entire] house."
In Radford, where a 23-foot crest was predicted, the river rose to little more than 16 feet by 3 a.m. Thursday, just 2 feet over flood stage for that area.
Ken Goodyear, director of Radford's Parks and Recreation Department, said Wednesday's flood warnings prompted more precautions at the scenic riverside Bisset Park than any other flood he remembers.
"We prepared for the worst, and hoped for the best, which was the case this time," Goodyear said. "When we got the word from [the Virginia Department of Emergency Services] that the pool would be affected, we turned off all electricity, all water and closed down all the pumps. Then we closed the park at 8:30 that night."
At Radford University's Dedmon Center, the playing fields for field hockey were under 4 feet of water, but by midmorning the water already was receding.
"It's too early to tell what kind of damage has been done," said Dedmon Center Director Ron Downs. "This has happened before, and its not the water, but the silt deposits and sediment that causes the problems. We'll just have to wait for it to dry up and see what we can do."
The Radford University field hockey season begins Sept. 6; if the fields have not been repaired by then, Downs expects to use an additional field near the center which was not affected by the water.
At McCoy Falls, a popular tubing spot for Virginia Tech students, New River Junction owner Dave Mondy sat in an empty rental tube shop with his employees. Mondy closed up shop for the day, and outside he had posted a large sign warning people to stay off the river due to dangerous conditions.
"We've had lots of calls from people wanting to get on the river, but right now it's about 15 feet above what we consider to be a safe level," Mondy said. "But with all the students coming into town [classes at Virginia Tech start Monday], this is the perfect time for someone to drown. I would hope once people see the rapids, they would know not to go in."
But that's not the case. Two years ago, an Ohio couple and their dog got into a canoe at Whitethorne when the river was 18 feet above safe levels, only to be thrown out and later rescued by an expert kayaker.
Despite the flooded yards and homes, most people along the New River were unfazed by the high waters. "It's something they've become accustomed to," Doris Horton said.
"I think we all know the chances we're taking," she said. "But you take a little bit of hell with a little bit of heaven and it's worth it."
by CNB