Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency yesterday, ordering state agencies to take all necessary measures to help in the recovery from the flooding and mud slides resulting from recent heavy rains.
Charlottesville Fire Marshall Steve Walton related a specific incident of a tree falling on a house on Rugby Ave. after the tree uprooted from soil oversaturated with rain.
"[The tree] basically buckled the front of the house". Walton said, saying that the house was subsequently deemed unsafe for inhabitants.
Charlottesville Fire Chief Charles Werner added that no one was injured or trapped inside when the tree fell onto the house.
The city of Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County received a lesser degree of flooding then adjacent areas according to Werner.
"There were places to the south of us that got a lot more rain, and to the north of us a lot of counties got hit much harder and still have flooding issues," he said. "For the most part, we were unscathed through the brunt of the storm."
Except for localized flooding at some of the intersections that traditionally flood, the Charlottesville Fire Department did not receive very many calls, Werner said.
Bob Bradley, Operations Chief of Albemarle County Fire and Rescue, agreed, saying the storms and resulting floods did not cause any severe damage or loss of life in Albemarle County.
"We've been pretty lucky," he said.
Flooding caused the most problems in the towns of Scottsville and Keene, where roads leading to Charlottesville where periodically rendered impassable due to flooding, Bradley said.
Bradley provided the example of a Scottsville ambulance which was damaged by high water while responding to a call.
According to Bradley, there where greater numbers of calls for assistance to the Albemarle County Fire and Rescue squad as a result of the storms, the majority of which consisted of downed power lines, fires caused by lightning, automatic fire alarms set off by power surges, as well as tree limbsand even entire trees falling on houses.
Bradley explained that damage done to property during storms by falling limbs and trees can be avoided by trimming back tree branches that hang over houses and driveways.
Bradley also said traffic accidents are much more frequent during storms, and recommends that drivers slow down, wear seat belts, and avoid engaging in activities that can distract one's attention from driving, such as talking on a cell phone.
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