'It looks like a war zone': Virginia flood victims survey damaged homes
Residents start the long process of cleaning up and rebuilding after floodwater consumed their Buchanan County communities
Long weekend of cleanup ahead after flash flooding in Buchanan County, Virginia
Floodwaters have receded after Tuesday night's flash flooding in Buchanan County, Virginia. And now with potential showers hitting the region this weekend, community members are coming together to figure out their next steps. FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell is live in Grundy, Virginia, with more on the recovery efforts.
BUCHANAN COUNTY, Va. – Flood victims searched through ruins of their homes in western Virginia hoping to salvage anything not damaged in Tuesday's flooding.
Jewelry boxes, photo albums, and documents were just some of the items Buchanan County residents told FOX Weather’s Will Nunley they hope to find. Others hold no hope of recovering valuables or mementos because there homes were completely washed away.
Many residents are coming to grips with not only lost belongings but financial ruin. Flood insurance is not part of a standard homeowner’s policy.
DO YOU HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE? DO YOU NEED IT?
Flooding aftermath: Buchanan County residents salvage valuables from destroyed homes
Families in Pilgrims Knob, Virginia recover items from their homes that were destroyed by major flooding. The United Way is providing relief to flood victims.
"I didn’t realize it until this conversation with my family that we don’t have any flood insurance either. I just assumed we did," Alison Rife, a third generation local resident, said. "So just thinking about rebuilding, thinking about the loss of all these people I care deeply about."
EVERYONE REPORTED MISSING FOUND ALIVE AFTER FLASH FLOOD DESTROYS OVER 100 HOMES IN RURAL VIRGINA
Home were torn from foundations by floodwaters.
(Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Eastern areas of the county saw up to 8 inches of rain fall on grounds that are used for coal mining in the Appalachians. Floodwaters rushed down the steep terrain and swelled creeks which washed homes off their foundations.
Buchanan residents, thankful that no one was hurt in the devastating flood, begin to clean up and rebuild.
(Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"This happened within a 30-minute window Tuesday night. Water came rushing into this town and it was waist high. Neighbors had to seek higher ground," Nunley reported, recounting a survivor’s experience. "Neighbors were pulling one another to safety trying to get out of the floodwaters."
7 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FLASH FLOODS
In Pilgrim’s knob what used to be Main Street now looks like a dirt road. Cars have to drive around a home that was washed onto the street. Two nearby residences were washed further down the river.
Woman describes rescuing neighbor from high floodwaters in Buchanan County, VA
FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell spoke with Buchanan County resident Sharon Keene-Sparks, who describes what it was like having to rescue her neighbor from high floodwaters.
More than 100 homes were damaged, during the heavy rainstorm. Shell-shocked residents said they just finished cleaning up after the remnants of Hurricane Ida flooded the area in August.
"It's like you dropped a bomb on it. It looks like a war zone out here," said Robert Minton, another third generation resident. "I would imagine this is what this looks like. It’s an environmental catastrophe."
HERE'S WHAT TO DO AFTER YOUR CAR IS FLOODED
Mail carrier Darlene Osborne drove around Oakwood, Virginia not recognizing the route she traveled for the past 18 years. She told FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell that many of the homes were gone. She tried to console victims she’s grown close to over the years.
Deep mud covers the front yard of a home still standing.
(Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Most of them just cry. Their whole life’s destroyed. Now they just don't know what to do. And a lot of them don't have flood insurance. So they've lost everything," said Osbourne. "It is devastation."
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Residents not in shelters have no electricity, water or cell phone service while they clean up. Many roads washed away further delaying incoming work crews to fix the infrastructure and remove dirt off the roads that are still intact.
"Its been a long couple of days," said Buchanan County Deputy Sheriff Eric Breeding. "We’ve got a long road ahead of us."
Chief Deputy Sheriff: Buchanan County flooding is 'historic' becasue of damage casued
FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell spoke with Buchanan County Chief Deputy Sheriff Eric Breeding who says this is historic becasue of the damage and the impression it's going to leave on the community.
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