Shenandoah Valley picks up the pieces after Helene
The outer bands of Hurricane Helene hit the Shenandoah Valley hard Friday.
Thousands were still without power Saturday morning, forcing businesses to shutter. Roadways blocked by flooding and debris remained closed. And many Augusta County residents who were urged to evacuate still hadn't returned home.
While the storm dropped nearly 2 inches on the cities of Waynesboro and Staunton and surrounding Augusta County, officials said it was runoff and not rainfall behind most of the area's problems.
More then 4,000 Dominion Energy customers in the city of Waynesboro woke up without electricity Saturday morning.
Dominion has brought in additional crews to deal with the outages, according to Gary Critzer, Waynesboro's director of emergency management.
The South River swelled to 12.8 feet in Waynesboro and forced partial closures of East Main Street to traffic, according to Critzer. Charlotte Avenue, Shore Road and South Oak Lane off Lyndhurst Road are also closed, he said.
"This was not the worst [flooding] we've ever had, but it was pushing it," Critzer told The News Virginian Saturday morning. He said the higher-than-forecast level of the river likely resulted from runoff more than from the actual rainfall. The river was receding on Saturday.
Critzer is asking residents of the West End of Waynesboro to conserve water Saturday while repairs are made to a pump station off Shenandoah Village Drive.
In Augusta County, a voluntary evacuation order was issued Friday and Sheriff Donald Smith specifically requested residents of Sherando, Creek Side and Black Creek out as floodwaters rose.
On Saturday, Smith told The News Virginian some of those residents sought shelter at the Wilson Volunteer Fire Company while others spent the night with family on higher ground.
Smith said several roads in Augusta County remain closed, including Battlefield Road in New Hope and Rockfish Road. On Friday night, water covered Howardsville Turnpike between Stuarts Draft and Lyndhurst, he said.
The sheriff cautioned Augusta County residents about Saturday travel. "As the water recedes, make sure it didn't wash the road out and be aware of downed trees," Smith said.
As of 10 a.m. Saturday, about 2,038 of Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative's Augusta County customers were still without power, according to spokesman Preston Knight.
