IMPORTANT REMINDER
If you come to a road with moving/standing water – turn around – do not attempt to go through the water, unseen dangerous conditions are possible.
June 2018 stated off with more of the same torrential rain that made the month of May around here a soggy mess.
The last week of May, in particular, turned deadly as at least two people have been confirmed dead from accidents on Wednesday, May 30, on Old Ballard Road and Martin Farm Lane, about seven miles northwest of downtown Charlottesville, and in Madison County, with at least one person still missing as of June 4.
Authorities in a flood-staggered swath of rural Virginia have performed multiple water rescues and had to search roadside woodlands amid weather caused by Subtropical Storm Alberto.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, Ruckersville Volunteer Fire Department, and other emergency response teams found the body of the missing Madison County woman on June 2 – she was swept away Wednesday night just after 8 p.m.
The crews used dive teams, drones, and a helicopter. The sheriff says the missing woman was with one other person on Wednesday night. She was trying to cross the river on an ATV, but was knocked off her feet when she got out to check the water. The other person is said to be OK.
Authorities are also still looking for a woman in Ivy last seen standing outside their silver Toyota Prius in Albemarle County on Wednesday night when they and their car were swept away. So far, the man’s body has been found.
Albemarle County Fire Chief Dan Eggleston said the vehicle was found Thursday morning. Another car also was swept away, but the person in that vehicle was rescued, Eggleston said.
There were at least 10 water rescues around the Ivy and Route 29 North area near the Rivanna River. Water rescue crews from Lynchburg helped with the search and rescue operations for the missing person after Albemarle County declared a state of emergency.
The Regional Emergency Operations Center was activated and a second swift water rescue team from Harrisonburg responded and was on stand-by after a request for assistance was made to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Parks Submerged
Several parks and trails in Charlottesville and Albemarle County were closed Thursday afternoon – May 31 – due to damage from the overflowing Rivanna River. The beach at Chris Greene was completely submerged, as was parts of Riverview and Azalea Parks.
Several roads in the area were also closed as a result of the flooding, city officials said. County schools closed or were on delayed opening times because of unsafe road conditions on Friday, June 1, and residents were advised to boil their water after flooding affected operations of a water plant in Northern Albemarle County.
Torrential Downpours
Western parts of the Central Virginia received seven to nine inches of rain in a few hours Wednesday night (May 30), according to The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang.
Other parts of the country were hit with heavy rain and dangerous flooding as remnants of Subtropical Storm Alberto swept through.
In North Carolina, torrential rain followed by flash floods and landslides created dangerous conditions and forced residents from their homes in parts of McDowell County, about an hour’s drive from Asheville.
Five people have died in the state, including two killed Wednesday when flooding and mudslides caused a home to collapse near Boone, according to the Charlotte Observer. In another incident, two TV news reporters died after a tree fell on their vehicle as they were covering the flooding.
The Washington and Baltimore regions also have been hit by flooding in the past few weeks. A National Guard sergeant died in Ellicott City, Md., after being swept away in floodwaters Sunday, May 27, as he tried to help rescue a stranded woman.
