THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 3, 1994 TAG: 9408030451
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN E. QUINONES MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
On the heels of the wettest July ever recorded in Hampton Roads, August is keeping the soggy streak alive - and making life miserable for many commuters.
As another thunderstorm soaked the area Tuesday, an eight-car pile-up occurred on eastbound Interstate 264 just before the afternoon rush hour. Seven people were hurt, none seriously.
The accident occurred about 3 p.m. when Michael Dewberry, 23, of Chesapeake lost control of his 1990 Toyota on the slippery highway shortly after passing the Brambleton Avenue exit and slid into the median, state police spokeswoman Tammy Van Dame said.
``This caused a chain reaction which involved seven other cars,'' Van Dame said. ``Traffic became backed up all the way to Waterside Drive.''
Four of the injured were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The other three, including a pregnant woman, were taken to Sentara Leigh Hospital.
The woman, whose baby is due next month, was kept overnight for observation. The others were expected to be treated and released, hospital spokeswomen said.
Traffic wasn't the only thing affected by the weather.
Virginia Power spokesman Junius Williams said 300customers in the area lost service because of the storm.
``It might be because of lightning bringing down trees on power lines or actually hitting generators; we're not sure,'' Williams said. ``We are sure that the power will be out only a few hours.''
Cable television companies also reported outages. Cox Cable had a recording on its repair hot line Tuesday evening notifying callers that the company was aware of outages in the Wards Corner area and hoped to restore service shortly.
There also were reports of flooding in some areas, including along the Bay streets in Ocean View.
When will the rain end?
``There's a possibility of a cold front coming in sometime on Friday, and if it does we should dry out quite a bit,'' said Lyle Wilson of the National Weather Service.
July's total rainfall of 14.37 inches broke a 19-year record of 13.73. Will August, with rain on the first two days, be a record-breaker, too?
``The odds are against it,'' Wilson said. ``That would be quite a feat to break it two months in a row. But then again, you never know.''
NORFOLK - On the heels of the wettest July ever recorded in Hampton Roads, August is keeping the soggy streak alive - and making life miserable for many commuters.
As another thunderstorm soaked the area Tuesday, an eight-car pile-up occurred on eastbound Interstate 264 just before the afternoon rush hour. Seven people were hurt, none seriously.
The accident occurred about 3 p.m. when Michael Dewberry, 23, of Chesapeake lost control of his 1990 Toyota on the slippery highway shortly after passing the Brambleton Avenue exit and slid into the median, state police spokeswoman Tammy Van Dame said.
``This caused a chain reaction which involved seven other cars,'' Van Dame said. ``Traffic became backed up all the way to Waterside Drive.''
Four of the injured were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The other three, including a pregnant woman, were taken to Sentara Leigh Hospital.
The woman, whose baby is due next month, was kept overnight for observation. The others were expected to be treated and released, hospital spokeswomen said.
Traffic wasn't the only thing affected by the weather.
Virginia Power spokesman Junius Williams said 300customers in the area lost service because of the storm.
``It might be because of lightning bringing down trees on power lines or actually hitting generators; we're not sure,'' Williams said. ``We are sure that the power will be out only a few hours.''
Cable television companies also reported outages. Cox Cable had a recording on its repair hot line Tuesday evening notifying callers that the company was aware of outages in the Wards Corner area and hoped to restore service shortly.
There also were reports of flooding in some areas, including along the Bay streets in Ocean View.
When will the rain end?
``There's a possibility of a cold front coming in sometime on Friday, and if it does we should dry out quite a bit,'' said Lyle Wilson of the National Weather Service.
July's total rainfall of 14.37 inches broke a 19-year record of 13.73. Will August, with rain on the first two days, be a record-breaker, too?
``The odds are against it,'' Wilson said. ``That would be quite a feat to break it two months in a row. But then again, you never know.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
Traffic backed up on eastbound Interstate 264 about 3 p.m. Tuesday
when eight vehicles were involved in a pileup.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC INJURIES by CNB