PETERSBURG, Va. -- A picture is worth a thousand words. Two immediately come to photojournalist Ben Earp's mind when he looks at the photos he took of his home over the weekend.
"It's devastating," Earp said.
Earp lives in Damascus, Virginia, one part of Southwest Virginia that saw damaging floodwaters and winds from Helene.
Earp, a NASCAR photographer, found out his home was in a flood zone, and after flying to Kansas City, flew immediately back home to be with his family.
"I didn't even know if we were going to lose our home," Earp said.
His photos show debris, overturned cars, a flooded restaurant, and volunteers and first responders coming together to help with clean-up efforts.
"I've been a photojournalist for a while, since 2010, and I've covered tornadoes, the arrest of a mass shooter," Earp said. "It's different when it's people you know and it's your home."
Earp said most of the area is without clean water or power. Cell service remains spotty.
Kathy Sulc, who lives in Central Virginia, has been trying to get in touch with her friends and relatives who live in North Carolina, hoping to get messages as cell service there also remains limited.
"It's been an agonizing weekend," Sulc said. "I've got dozens of family members there and lots of friends, and slowly, but surely, I'm hearing from first one, then the other, but it's a lot of devastation. They're just inaccessible at this point."
Sulc said roads have been destroyed by flooding, causing some people in the most rural parts of the area to be cut off from travel.
"I've got cousins who live out of town who had to drive in and cut trees and remove debris just to get their parents out of their home because they are just stranded," Sulc said.
In Petersburg, Old Towne's Alibi is joining forces with Dance's Sporting Goods and other families in the area to collect donations, and fill at least one trailer to take to Boone, NC.
"Even though it's not our direct, local community, if you can see those videos, and see the people facing the devastation, and their basic needs not being met," said Kathleen McCay with Old Towne's Alibi. "That's why we're going."
Old Towne's Alibi will be accepting donations all day Wednesday and Thursday. McCay says folks in the area have requested the following items:
- Baby wipes
- Paper towels
- Hand sanitizer
- Tooth brushes and toothpaste
- Bottled water
- Heavy duty work gloves
- Heavy duty trash bags
- Nonperishable foods
- Tarps
- Cat and dog food
- Bug spray
- Feminine sanitary products
- Flash lights
- Matches and candles
- Candles
Governor Youngkin held a press briefing on the situation in Southwest Virginia Monday, saying the United Way of Southwest Virginia is one of the largest nonprofits accepting donations to help with recovery efforts.
The American Red Cross of Virginia is also taking donations and is encouraging those who can donate blood, as roughly 1,500 blood donations were disrupted from the storm.
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