CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- “Definite catastrophe for Southwest Virginia."
Chesterfield Fire Captain John Jacobson can say that with certainty.
"Pretty humbling just the force of the water and the amount, how fast the flash flooding was occurring."
Jacobson spent the weekend working water rescues in Wythe County caused by Helene's flood waters.
"Most of the residents told us this was the worst flooding they’d ever seen. Water coming through the town, the main roads, washing roads out, isolating communities," Jacobson said. "And then the amount of debris - fencing, posts, trees. We were watching homes float down the New River past us as we were doing boat operations.”
Virginia officials have confirmed two deaths related to the flooding - but they believe those are the only fatalities at this point.
This is thanks in large part to over 70 rescues performed by emergency crews.
Fire Lieutenant Justin Bennett was part of a helicopter rescue unit just outside of Damascus that spotted to hikers stuck on logs in the middle of mountain flooding.
"Just flying along and happened to see them," Bennett said. "The female we rescued, she was wearing a bright pink hoodie. That’s the first thing I saw. I don’t think [they] would’ve had a great outcome if we weren’t there, so we’re lucky we saw them.”
Governor Youngkin says there were no major dam failures in Virginia and the focus now turned
to power and cell phone outages, which are affecting large areas of the southwestern portion of the state.
While there is no estimate yet on the damage - Youngkin says the amount of businesses and homes lost is devastating.
“Almost most importantly, what do they do next? What do they do next, and how do we make sure a path first to being safe, and then afterward how to they move forward with their lives and how do we support them.”
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