The Shadow
Heavy rain fell Sunday on an already-saturated Alleghany Highlands, creating minor flooding problems and closing schools.
A Flood Warning remained in effect until 10:30 this morning for urban areas and small streams in the city of Covington, Alleghany and Bath counties.
Just over an inch and a half of rain was reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Gathright Dam, and the inflow at the lake was estimated at over 11,000 cubic feet per second.
At 8 a.m. today, Potts Creek was reported at 8.2 feet and rising. Its flood stage is 8.0 feet. Along Dunlap, the creek was 9.0 feet and rising.
Its flood stage is 8.0 feet. Flooding was also reported on the Cowpasture River and Smith’s Creek in Clifton Forge.
“I’ve never seen the Cowpasture rise that fast,” said Virginian Review staff writer Buck Rumpf, who owns a camp on the river. “We haven’t even gotten the water from Bath County yet, so it’s going to get worse.”
Lt. Col. Matt Bowser of the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office said this morning that there were reports of high water on Rumsey Road near Humpback Bridge. He also reported that a section of McKinney’s Hollow Road caved in near Rt. 220 in Botetourt County.
Work crews are currently repairing the 16-foot section of road that collapsed.
Downed trees were also reported in several locations east of Clifton Forge in Alleghany County.
“That’s all we’ve been made aware of,” Lt. Col. Bowser said this morning.
Schools were closed in Alleghany County today. Kenny Higgins, the director of administrative services, said schools classes were suspended today due to concerns for student safety.
“This was a tough call to make, but we thought it was better to err on the safety of the kids rather than get them to school and be unable to get them back home,” Higgins said.
Higgins said that in the Snake Run area of the county water had flooded the road near Alleghany Tunnel. Higgins said that school officials had received reports that the tunnel was closed this morning.
Additionally, Higgins said school officials were aware of the McKinney’s Hollow Road situation where the road had sunk about three feet and the Cowpasture River had reportedly spilled over its banks.
“It was already up in some peoples’ yards, and that was before it even crested,” Higgins said.
Bath County Schools opened two hours late, and Maj. Richard Chestnut with the Bath County Sheriff’s Office said minor flooding had been reported in parts of the county.
Maj. Chestnut also reported a minor mudslide on Rt. 687 in Bath County.
Warm Springs Supervisor Jon Trees also reported minor flooding problems in western areas of Bath County. He said several basements were flooded, and he reported that one lane of Rt. 39 was closed in western Bath County Monday morning.
“Thank God we didn’t get this rain when we had all of that snow on the ground,” Trees said. “It would have been catastrophic.”
In Bath County along the Jackson River, the river was 10.3 feet and rising. Along Back Creek, the stream was 9.8 feet and steady. Its flood stage is 10.0 feet. Also along Back Creek at Mountain Grove, the stage was 9.0 feet. Its flood stage is 7.0 feet.
A Flood Warning means that flooding is eminent or has been reported.
In the city of Covington, Police Chief J.B. Broughman said he patrolled the main routes in the city this morning and saw no evidence of rock slides, however, city crews were cleaning up some debris that had fallen on Town Hill.
“Whatever has fallen has been cleared away,” Broughman said.
Across the state, flood warnings were in effect Monday for parts of central, northern, northwestern and southwestern Virginia.
The National Weather Service said several rivers left their banks Monday morning, including the Roanoke, Dan, New and South rivers.
Portions of several secondary roads in many areas, largely west of U.S. 29 and along Interstate 81 in the Shenandoah Valley, were impassable because of floodwaters, the Virginia Department of Transportation said.
A mudslide shut down all lanes of Va. 666 in Roanoke County, VDOT said.
In Albemarle County, the Scottsville volunteer fire department pumped water into the James River to keep the town from flooding. Capt. Randy Woodson said the Mint Creek Reservoir flooded from the heavy rains, and pumping began shortly after 8 a.m. Monday.
No injuries have been reported.
Partly cloudy skies and some sunshine were forecasted for the Highlands today with a chance of rain and snow showers tonight and Tuesday.
Drier weather is expected through the middle of the week before it gives way to a chance of rain and snow Thursday night, Friday and Saturday.
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Staff writers Darrell Gleason, Kyle Bennett and Larry O’Rourke contributed to this report.
