Transcription
[Weekly Messenger]
[6-11-89]
Damage widespread
across county
By Joseph Curl
Severe flooding in the county
caused at least $200,000 damage to
roads and forced the evacuation of
residents near Lake Jackson dam
as a precautionary measure.
Losses suffered by 15 households
and businesses and to the
town's newly completed ball field
during an early morning flash
flood in the Town of Dumfries
may amount to as much as $1 million
dollars, town officials say. (see
related story.)
While there was substantial
damage in the Dumfries area, most
of the damage and flooding occurred
in western Prince William
County.
"Almost all the (secondary)
roads suffered some damage,"
said Harry Glenn, Virginia Department
of Transportation (VDOT)
Assistant Resident Engineer for
Maintenance. The damage ranges
from washed-out gravel roads to
shoulders completely obliterated
by the flooding.
During the storm, more than 100
stranded in a tree for more than
two hours after she attempted to
cross the flood-swollen Powells
Creek at the intersection of Minnieville
Road and Running Creek
Drive.
"All of a sudden, a big wave
came across the road," said Ms.
Eller, who tried to cross the intersection
about 11:30 p.m. Friday
night. After her car was pushed into
the creek, by a current estimated
at 20 miles per hour, she tried to
open the door, but couldn't because
of the rushing water. When
she finally did get out, she was
pushed under the car but was able
to grab a branch of an over-
hanging tree.
"The car pushed that tree over"
as the car rushed down-river, she
said.
After she grabbed a branch and
climbed up out of the water, rescue
personnel were called.
"I just yelled real loud," Ms.
Eller said.
Fire and rescue personnel called
for a helicopter, but all units were
being used in other rescues. They
finally decided to float a boat out
to Ms. Eller after anchoring it with
a rope to a fire truck.
"Yes, the water was very cold,"
she said.
More than 4 1/2 inches of rain fell
day, and streams and rivers began
to swell to flood proportions as
runoff from hills and sporadic rain
continued through the weekend.
The storm began in the midwest
Thursday and swept across the
south, killing at least 21 people and
injuring more than 100 as it raged
from Texas to Virginia.
E-Z Cruz, Inc., a marine supply
store at 15713 Jefferson Davis
Hwy. (U.S. 1), suffered $50,000
damage to the building and inventory.
Neabsco Creek, directly
behind the store, backed up at the
underpass on Va. 1 and flowed
across the street.
"The highway department is
supposed to keep (the underpass)
clear, but it got clogged up"
because of the quickness of the
storm and flooded the store with
mud and debris, said an employee.
VDOT crews worked round-the-
clock to clean up Purcell Road
near its crossing at the Purcell
Branch stream, a tributary of the
Occoquan River. The road suffered
major damage as the stream
roared across the road, washing
out shoulders along the road.
Parts of Lake Jackson Drive,
Lucasville Road and Godwin Drive
in Manassas, and Neabsco Road in
Dumfries were closed for most of
the weekend because of the flooding.
Mike Haddon of the Fire Marshall's
Office reported that the
county's fire and rescue crews
made 78 calls on Friday, including
three rescues, all after 10 p.m. The
squads responded to 91 calls on
Saturday, including six rescues,
four between 12 and 1 a.m.
Safety during
thunderstorms
During a thunderstorm, lightning
is most likely to strike on a hilltop
and under a tree. If you are outside
during a thunderstorm, protect
yourself by learning the following
guidelines from the Virginia
Department of Emergency Services:
- Take shelter in a building or
covered vehicle.
- If you are in a forest, take
shelter in a low-lying area under
thick, small trees.
- If you are swimming or
boating, get out of the water immediately.
- If you are in an open field,
head for low ground - a ravine or a
valley.
- Do not touch metal objects
such as fences, umbrellas, bicycles
or golf clubs.
- Do no go near overhead wires,
metal pipes, water, clothes lines,
poles or large trees.
- Use the telphone only in an
emergency.
For more information, call the
Virginia Department of Emergency
Services at 804-674-2499.Transcriber
Adam KitchenLanguage
English
