RICHMOND, Va. -- In the basement of the Virginia State Police headquarters, the Joint Information Center is coordinating recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene, with contributions from FEMA, public safety, and other state and federal partners providing the latest updates on the damage sustained in Southwest Virginia.
After a brief show of gratitude, Governor Glenn Youngkin delivered a debrief on the situation, characterizing the storm's impact.
"This was a comprehensively damaging storm," Youngkin said.
At the height of the storm, over 300,000 residents were without power. As of Friday, 97% of power has been restored to the region.
The challenge now is getting the remaining 1,370 people restored in the most difficult-to-reach areas. In some cases, Youngkin said poles for new power lines are being flown into the affected areas by helicopter, with hand-dug foundations being prepared to plant them and reconnect power.
"AEP [American Electric Power], which is the primary utility in the area, has 7,000 people working in the region," Youngkin said.
While many water systems are back up and running, the Governor noted that consumable water continues to pose a concern, with about 28 water systems still under a boil-water notice.
"We are advising the entire region, particularly those customers that are on wells, to be very, very careful," he added.
At the peak of the storm, as many as 287 cellphone towers were out of service, which has now reduced to just 14 as of Friday.
"We are working rapidly to restore those. The communication infrastructure being back online has allowed for a full understanding of what needs to be done."
Transportation challenges have also emerged.
According to the latest assessments, two primary roads and 52 secondary roads are currently impassable in the Bristol and Salem districts, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). VDOT and other federal authorities are in the process of assessing ways to work around the blockages but anticipate it will continue to be a major disruption to the area.
"Highway 58, which is one of the main thoroughfares, has a mile-and-a-half stretch that is absolutely impassable, and it is a long-term rebuild effort," Youngkin explained.
The Governor said that VDOT, the Department of Corrections, and the National Guard have played pivotal roles in clearing the affected roadways, with debris removal continuing at an emergency pace.
While 287 cellphone towers were out of service due to the storm, that number has now decreased to just 14, indicating that communication infrastructure is largely back online. Youngkin stated that emergency services have been able to expand their reach to the affected areas.
"This is going to be a long restoration and rebuild process, but I am confident that if we can just keep focused and not allow the standard 'it's been two weeks now, and we're moving on to the next issue' mentality to settle in, I will not allow that to happen," Youngkin asserted. "Southwest Virginia will rebuild stronger than it was before."
As for disruptions to education, Youngkin said the school systems in the southwest have been a "mixed bag," with areas experiencing various stages of closures, openings, and delays.
"One of the big steps earlier in the week was that the counties submitted waiver requests to the federal government so that meal services to disadvantaged families could be extended to all school children. We're continuing to work to expand that across the region," Youngkin added.
Healthcare support has been a primary concern.
Youngkin noted that the southwest has received substantial support from the Medical Reserve Corps, a team of volunteer doctors, nurses, and EMS professionals from around the state who are mobilized to assist those in need.
So far, the Governor says the biggest needs are refilling prescription medications that were washed away during the flood, administering tetanus shots, and replacing medical equipment like wheelchairs and oxygen tanks.
He added that more than 40,000 meals have also been served by the state and the Department of Corrections, excluding what has been done by churches and nonprofits that have been feeding communities.
"That is a testament to Virginians and their willingness to support one another," Youngkin said.
Youngkin stated that the approval of the state's emergency declaration by the federal government on Tuesday will open up more resources for the key counties affected by Helene.
"We're working to add more resources. We just needed to get the process started," Youngkin said. "What that means is that we'll be able to collect and begin the process to support folks immediately."
Currently, there are 150 FEMA personnel on the ground, with 50 more being added incrementally in the next week, according to the Governor.
As the damage assessment and cleanup continue, Youngkin said he is making state resources available to other southeastern states affected by Helene through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
"We are deploying Virginia resources into other areas of the southeast," Youngkin said. "We have search and rescue teams, communications teams, and incident management teams that have been deployed to North Carolina."
He added that the state is processing a request from South Carolina to have the Virginia National Guard deployed to the most affected areas.
The direct FEMA line to call for personal disaster assistance is 1-800-621-3362. Anyone with questions about the process is being asked to call the main line or reach out to www.fema.gov.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have information to share.
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