Southwest Virginia Flood Damages Estimated At $2.3M

Last week's flooding caused at least $2.3 million in damage to two Southwest Virginia counties, according to preliminary estimates from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

$2.3M: Total damages

$1.65M: in Tazewell County

$647K: in Russell County

Last week's flooding caused at least $2.3 million in damage to two Southwest Virginia counties, according to preliminary estimates from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

The town of Richlands in Tazewell County was among the hardest-hit areas, where heavy rainfall across the region caused the Clinch River to flood, and about 100 people had to be evacuated from their homes.

VDEM's preliminary numbers include an overall estimate for Tazewell County of $1.65 million in damage, with $273,000 in damage to public property and infrastructure, $573,000 in residential damage and $808,000 to commercial property.

In Russell County, more than $647,000 in damage has been reported to VDEM, although a breakdown of public, private and commercial damage wasn't immediately available by mid-week.

Russell and Tazewell were the only Southwest Virginia counties with preliminary VDEM numbers on Wednesday.

Storms swept across other parts of Virginia last week, causing more than $6 million in damage statewide, but most of the reported damage in terms of financial impact occurred in Leesburg and Loudoun County in Northern Virginia, according to the agency.

Last week's heavy rain also fell in the Roanoke and New River valleys and caused minor flooding and some school closings but no other significant damage.

Jess Powers, Russell County's emergency management coordinator, said mid-week cleanup efforts were ongoing. "We still have roads closed and bridges closed," Powers said Wednesday.

Robbie Coates, VDEM's grants manager for disaster programs, said state officials are supporting localities in assessing damage and that estimates accounted for the tax assessed value of affected structures.

It seemed unlikely that damage in Russell and Tazewell counties was severe enough to meet criteria for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coates said.

However, he said aid may be available through the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund, which provides grants to local nonprofit and volunteer groups. There's also a state program that can reimburse localities for public property damage, he added.

"What we don't know is insurance - how much of that will be covered by insurance," Coates said about the number of affected people with flood insurance.

One success story in the face of local flooding, Coates said, was a nearly $500,000 grant awarded to the town of Cleveland in Russell County in 2014 through FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program. The town used the money to purchase and demolish six structures near the Clinch River.

Those buildings would have flooded last week if they were still around, Coates said.

"That's just demonstrating the effectiveness of reducing your risk and taking initiative in trying to mitigate the risk of flooding."

{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="777f4c45-81cc-5fea-be1f-4acafbf18481"}}

The Roanoke Times contributed information to this report.

[email protected] | 276-645-2567 | Twitter: @Tim_Dodson