President Biden Declares Federal Disaster in Southwest Virginia

Read Time:4 Minute, 57 Second

(TNS) — Power line crews, fire departments, public works departments and even sheriff’s deputies with chainsaws were out Monday in Tazewell County and other parts of Southwest Virginia clearing away fallen trees and laboring to bring electricity back to thousands of people.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Virginia’s request for a federal emergency declaration for Public Assistance, Emergency Protective Measures and Direct Federal Assistance had been approved by President Joe Biden . This declaration supports the counties of Tazewell and Wythe as well as Grayson , Smyth , Washington and the city of Galax .

According to a statement Monday from Appalachian Power , service could be restored in the Bluefield, Va. area, Tazewell, Va. , Grundy, Va. and Wytheville, Va. by 11 p.m. today. About 83,000 customers were still without power around 5 p.m. in Virginia .

Early Monday morning, Appalachian Power was still bringing in personnel from outside its service area to restore power that was knocked out Friday and Saturday.

Hundreds of line crews and forestry crews were arriving Monday from as far away as Wisconsin and the New York City area to work in the hardest-hit areas including Bluefield and Bluefield, Va. , Tazewell, Va. and Grundy, Va.

Tazewell County Sheriff Brian Hieatt said Monday that Tazewell 911 was getting hundreds of calls last Friday and Saturday about fallen power lines and trees blocking roadways. Residents were having trouble leaving their neighborhoods due to fallen trees.

One fatality was reported Sept. 27 when a 71-year-old man from North Tazewell was struck by a falling tree while he was clearing away another tree that was blocking a roadway, Hieatt said. Tazewell 911 had reports of falling trees that damaged homes and cars, but no injuries had been reported. Power outages were still the biggest concern.

“We have a lot of areas that don’t have power still yet,” Hieatt said. “Even in the town of Tazewell , one street will have power and the next one over does not. Burkes Garden , Thompson Valley , Abbs Valley still have no power.”

Local firefighters and even sheriff’s deputies have been out in the county using chainsaws to clear trees out of roadways, Hieatt said.

Tazewell County Emergency Services and the Red Cross have opened an emergency shelter at the Tazewell County Fairgrounds , he said. Residents can stay there, get showers, and have access to donated food and other supplies.

“I think we even have some oxygen that’s been donated,” Hieatt said.

Much of Bluefield, Va. was still without power Monday morning. Only a few parts of the town still had electricity.

“Yes, we’re still struggling,” Mayor Donnie Linkous of Bluefield, Va. said. “We have (power) all the way down to Walmart and then to the end of Pine Hill and Doublegate.”

The town was addressing the local water supply Monday.

“Our biggest concern is the pump station here at the Doublegates water tank,” Linkous said. “We’re trying to get a generator big enough to run the pump. They’re about out of water at Doublegate, but our crews are out. We’ve placed dumpsters throughout the town to place food that’s spoiled. We keep emptying them, but they’re filling up as fast as we empty them. Walmart doesn’t have anything perishable. They just selling canned food, dry food.”

Crews from AEP and Aspen were working to remove fallen trees and restore power along with firefighters and public works personnel.

“They’ve done a great job, but there’s so much damage,” Linkous said. “Literally thousands of trees are down. The fire department and public works, they’ve done a fantastic job, but we’ve got just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve got a gazillion trees to get out.”

Gov. Youngkin and the First Lady visited Narrows, Va. in Giles County as well as Independence , Fries , Pembroke and Bisset Park , Va. during the weekend to thank first responders and reinforce the Commonwealth’s continued support the affected communities in their recovery efforts

Giles County, Va. declared a state of emergency Sept. 27 . Voluntary evacuations were urged in campgrounds along the New River , Jason Circle in Narrows, Va. , and the areas of Cliffview Drive and Caboose Lane in Pembroke, Va. , according to the Giles County Sheriff’s Office . When the tropical storm arrived, the New River was expected to crest Sunday at 21 feet at the Glen Lyn, Va. gauge, making it the county’s worst flood since 1940 and 2 feet higher than the flood of October 2018 .

“Hurricane Helene’s impacts were felt across Southwest Virginia and the impacts are heart wrenching. Immediately, we went to work to request additional federal assistance on top of the state and local assistance that we are already providing. Thank you to President Biden , Senator Warner , Senator Kaine and Congressman Griffith for their support and continued coordination to provide assistance to Virginians in need,” Youngkin said. “Today, I visited some of the impacted counties to reiterate that we are praying for all affected Virginians and we’re working to restore power, communications, water, and cell phone coverage immediately. State and local officials are coordinating to ensure that key essentials such as water and food are available to those that need it. As we begin the recovery process, Virginians in need can go to VAemergency.gov or dial 211 for help. At the state and local level, we will remain continually engaged to ensure Virginians get the support and help that they need in the aftermath of this powerful storm. I am proud of Virginia first responders for their assistance, the grit and resilience of Virginians and together, we will get through this.”