We have become more and more accustomed to hearing about natural disasters. Sometimes, it may seem as if they just continue to occur one after the other and we may even lose our empathy for those who suffer in this way.
There are also times when we see how a natural disaster can affect many people and it does so without any warning. It happened recently in Virginia, which is one of the worst states affected after torrential rains caused flooding.
The flash floods occurred across four different states as the storms tore through the United States. The states that are affected include Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia.
On February 15, reports came in that officers with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s office were responding to emergency calls about flooding. This occurred in Hurley, a small community situated close to the border of Kentucky and West Virginia but residing in Virginia.
The reports let the first responders know that the area had been almost completely submerged by the floodwaters. It wasn’t long before videos started to show up online and it showed the level of destruction, which was off the charts.
According to officials, parts of Vansant, Prater, Grundy, Davenport, Slate Creek, Rocklick, Hurley, and Oakwood could not even be accessed because the waters had come up so far.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin put an urgent warning on Facebook to tell the residents they should not ‘fight the water’. He urged them to leave the properties when it was safe to do so.
He wrote: “Heavy rain is hitting Virginia, with flash floods already reported in SWVA. Stay alert — don’t fight the water, just leave, and call for help. First responders, rescue crews, law enforcement, VDOT, and the VA National Guard are deployed. Your safety is our top priority.”
On Twitter, footage has been uploaded from those in the area that shows the devastation from up close. Properties were taken over by the floodwaters that were rushing through the area.
One video that went viral was of a woman who was on her porch as the floodwaters were flowing past her home. Her property was drenched but fortunately, she was able to escape, despite the fact that everything around her was underwater.
She then pointed out a Dollar General store that stood near the end of the street and now, you can only see the roof. Waves are crashing against the roof as they overtook the building.
The Blacksburg office of the National Weather Service in Virginia wrote: “At 5:22 p.m. EST, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain across the warned area, which is already experiencing saturated soils and swollen rivers. Between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is up to 1 inch per 1 hour.
“Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is already occurring.”
Downpours were expected to continue through February 16 with an additional ‘slight to moderate risk of flash flooding across the area through Sunday morning.’
