ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 TAG: 9601240037
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER Damage reports are still trickling in,
but preliminary estimates from the weekend's flood stand at $17.6 million in
Western Virginia.
The state on Tuesday asked the Federal Emergency Management Administration
to assess the damage in preparation for seeking a presidentially declared
emergency, said Janet Clements, spokeswoman for the Department of Emergency
Services.
A team of federal officials could arrive in Western Virginia this week, she said. Based on their report, Gov. George Allen will determine whether to seek federal aid, Clements said.
By most accounts, it was a quirky flood compared with others. The recent 2- to 3-foot snow was rapidly melting when a big rainstorm deluged the region. Rivers and streams swelled faster than anyone could imagine.
The Roanoke Valley escaped major problems, while people to the north and south were evacuated. Some communities that had little damage from last June's flooding were soaked this time, and vice versa.
And some homeowners who have never had problems were flooded out.
"One lady about 85 years old said she'd never had water in her house. There was 4 feet," said Randi Lemmon, town manager of Pembroke, along Little Stony Creek. Lemmon said it was apparently the worst flood in the town's recorded history.
Another woman had to be rescued with a backhoe, the only vehicle that could reach her house in the rushing water, Lemmon said. "It came up real fast. It was a freak thing."
Bath County took the worst of it, reporting at least $6.7 million in damages. The Homestead accounted for $2.5 million of that, County Administrator Claire Collins said. The hotel's golf courses, conference center and water system, which supplies some nearby homes, were damaged, she said.
Last weekend's floods wreaked more damage in her county than last year's back-to-back floods in June, which damaged $1.5 million in private and public property, Collins said.
Rockbridge County and Lexington came through this time with only $1.7 million, compared with $48 million last year, said Robert Weikel, deputy emergency services coordinator.
Buchanan, one of the hardest-hit communities, was nearly swallowed by the James River when it crested 12 feet above flood stage. About 50 people were evacuated Friday night, Mayor Rex Kelly said, and a few were still unable to return home as of Monday.
Several structures at the town's carnival grounds, where the fire department holds fund-raisers every Fourth of July, were destroyed. "The stage where they had performers and all, well, I reckon it's in Richmond. It's no longer here," Kelly said.
The Glad Rags sewing factory was under 6 feet of water within four hours, owner Peter Ragone said. His total damage was $600,000, including $250,000 of merchandise that belonged to his customers. All four of his sons, along with two dozen employees, started cleaning up tree limbs and other river muck Sunday.
It wasn't like the Flood of '85, when 18 feet of water ravaged the factory, Ragone said. Still, he'll have to replace most of the equipment and won't be back in operation for another two or three weeks.
"It was a little worse than we first anticipated," said Gerald Burgess, administrator for Botetourt County, which includes Buchanan. Early predictions called for 4 or 5 feet over flood stage, a typical, yet relatively tame, flood for the community. But twice Friday, the predictions rose, as did the river.
Bad, but again, not as bad as '85, when the James crested at 22 feet above flood stage. "That kind of puts it in perspective," Burgess said.
Buena Vista also was hit hard, taking about $100,000 in damage. Kenny's Restaurant was one of the flood's victims.
Friday morning, the skies were clear and the sun was shining, so owners Steve and Beth Flagle opened the restaurant for breakfast. Then the creek started rising. By 9:30 a.m., it covered the parking lot, and Flagle asked his customers to finish up while he started moving things out of the way.
In the end, his restaurant's floor was under 18 inches of water. But this time, the Flagles have insurance, after last year's floods cost them about $10,000.
James Painter is another businessman who was ready this time. Last year, the owner of Painter Space Print Inc., a carpet yarn dye plant, had $1 million in flood damage. So, he leased several trailers and bought a tractor to move them.
At 2 a.m. Friday, he and his family and dozens of workers started hauling yarn and equipment out of the plant.
"We knew the water was coming. We decided it's better to be safe than sorry," Painter said. "It was well worth it." The plant was back in full swing Monday.
Staff writer Jennifer Mason contributed information for this story.
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: Flood damage estimates.by CNB