Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507070082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke residents and businesses devastated by flash flooding June 28 became eligible for emergency assistance, as the federal government declared Roanoke a major disaster area.
The ruling by the Federal Emergency Management Agency gives flood-ravaged residents in Roanoke the opportunity to apply for grants and low-interest federal loans to cover uninsured losses and relocation expenses.
It came after a week of pressure by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, and other state and local officials to expand a disaster area declared by federal officials July 1 that encompassed Greene, Madison and Rockbridge counties and Buena Vista and Lexington.
The amendment issued Thursday also covers Bath, Pittsylvania, Warren, Rappahannock, Halifax and Orange counties.
The announcement came during a standing-room-only meeting at Garden City's Bible Baptist Church that was organized by community activist Dennis Tinsley. City, state and federal officials attended the meeting, and the city fielded a team of residents to help brainstorm solutions for the future.
A number of people spoke of years of flooding and pleas by Garden City residents that went ignored by City Hall. But for the most part, they seemed satisfied that they have gotten the city's attention.
``We need storm drains, which were promised 46 years ago, back when they [annexed Garden City] into the city. ... Garden City has been neglected,'' said Hillard Jones, who lives on New Spring Branch Road. The crowd reacted with loud applause.
``We join you in being concerned about this situation,'' Mayor David Bowers said. ``That's not just empty words. ... We intend to address the problems in your neighborhood. We know that's our responsibility, and we intend to keep it."
Woody Brzozowski, FEMA coordinator of community relations for Virginia flood cleanup, told residents that they can expect to see federal disaster workers in the community as early as today handing out fliers with information.
FEMA may also set up a mobile disaster application center in the city, he told the 200 people in the church.
``I know what you're going through,'' Brzozowski said. ``I know it's an old saying that people are tired of hearing, but we are here to help you.''
City Manager Bob Herbert told the crowd that in discussing potential long-term solutions to flooding, ``there's nothing off the table - everything is on the table for discussion.''
The nighttime meeting capped a day of frenetic flood recovery activity - and some more minor flooding from morning and evening thunderstorms that pounded Mill Mountain and other parts of the city.
City Council held a special meeting during the afternoon to certify the city's declaration of ``local emergency'' as a result of torrential rains last week. That was necessary to win the federal declaration.
At that meeting, Herbert showed council federal maps charting the 100-year flood plain and the more dangerous flood way for Garden City and other communities south of Mill Mountain. They show dozens of homes and businesses in peril from future storms.
The ultimate solution, he said, may lie with joint federal and city funding for flood-proofing and purchasing homes and businesses in the most severely affected areas.
Herbert also praised city police, firefighters, emergency service workers and members of the public works department and refuse crews for their actions during and after the flooding.
Warned by the National Weather Service of saturated soils and potential flooding, the city deployed firefighters in Garden City before waters rose and choked off roadways, he said. They were able to rescue residents trapped in their homes.
``Quite frankly, we could not have gotten to where we needed to be if our folks hadn't already been there,'' Herbert said.
The FEMA action Thursday did not apply to taxpayer money expended in the flood cleanup, which so far is estimated at $367,000. The city will continue to seek reimbursement from the federal government for that.
The floods were caused by torrential rains unprecedented in Roanoke.
Herbert said city gauges recorded 3.9 inches of rain on Mill Mountain between 6:15 and 7:15 p.m. on June 28. The National Weather Service said that slightly more than 4 inches fell between 6 and 7:15 p.m. That is the equivalent of about 40 inches of snowfall in one hour.
Even that is far from the Virginia record. Hurricane Camille in 1969 dumped 27 inches of rain in six hours on parts of Nelson and Amherst counties on June 19, 1969 - an average of 4.5 inches per hour.
by CNB