Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
|
|
 |
|
|
Water flows Thursday from Jordan Creek Park into a nearby creek on Creekside Drive in Fieldale. The area’s heaviest flooding was reported along Jordan Creek. (Bulletin photos by Mike Wray) |
| More Photos |
Friday, November 13, 2009
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Remnants of Tropical Storm Ida dropped more than 9 inches of rain in some parts of the Henry County-Martinsville area in recent days, causing flooded roads and power failures as toppled trees fell onto electrical lines.
Rain gauges in Henry County’s Automated Flood Warning System showed more than 9 inches of rain fell in areas near Jones Creek, and more than 8 inches fell in areas near Marrowbone Creek, on Wednesday and Thursday, according to county Public Safety Director Dale Wagoner.
However, 4 to 5 inches of rain fell across most parts of the area, he said, based on the rain gauge data.
A flood warning issued by the National Weather Service in Blacksburg was in effect for Henry County and Martinsville until 10:45 p.m. Thursday.
The area was lucky in that it was “a steady rain over a period of time,” said Wagoner. If that much rain had fallen over a shorter period, there could have been more flooding, he said.
Flooding was sporadic throughout the county, Wagoner said.
The heaviest flooding seemed to occur along Creekside Drive near Jordan Creek in Fieldale, he said. He did not know how deep the water was.
Some of the areas where minor flooding occurred were Saddle Ridge Road in Bassett, the Figsboro area and the flatlands between Kings Grant Retirement Community and Kings Mountain Road, he said.
Wagoner said he understands that a few people in the county reported their basements were flooded. He did not immediately know who they were or where they live.
Lisa Price Hughes, local residency administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), said at 1:45 p.m. Thursday that as far as she knew, all flooding along county roads had receded.
Trees blown onto roads “was our problem more than high water,” she said.
Portions of Carver Road, Creekside Drive, Meadowood Trail and The Great Road, among other roads, were closed early Thursday due to standing water or VDOT crews removing trees from roads, Hughes said. She emphasized that crews tried to get downed trees removed as quickly as possible.
Bobby Phillips, Martinsville’s emergency management director, said he knew of no streets in the city being closed except for the block of Fayette Street between Roundabout Road and Pony Place where a tree fell onto power lines.
At times early Thursday, between 1,500 and 1,800 Martinsville Electric Department customers were without power, said city electric department Superintendent Dennis Bowles. Areas affected by outages included all of Fayette Street, the city’s west side and part of Memorial Boulevard.
Power was restored to affected areas by Thursday afternoon, Bowles said. Additional outages were reported into the evening.
Appalachian Power reported eight power failures on Thursday in parts of Henry County, but only about 30 customers were affected, according to John Shepelwich, the company’s corporate communications manager.
The failures were in various parts of the county, but at least two were in western Bassett, Shepelwich said.
He said they were mostly due to downed trees.
Appalachian crews still were working to restore electricity to some affected customers Thursday night, but Shepelwich said the company expected power to be fully restored by this morning.
The weather service said it expected winds Thursday night to be between 18 and 22 mph, with gusts up to 34 mph. Winds today are expected to be between 13 and 16 mph, according to meteorologists.
As a result, area emergency and utility officials were worried that more power failures might occur through today.
“Trees are not going to be able to withstand the wind when the ground is so soaked,” Phillips said. |
| |
|
|
