7 Dead in Virginia in Gaston's Wake

[Cyclone Runner]

(AP Photo)

photo credit and caption:Damaged vehicles are seen in a parking lot in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004, after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston led to widespread flooding. (AP Photo/Scott K. Brown)

Flooding From Tropical Storm Gaston Damages Va. Homes, Businesses, Leaves at Least 7 People Dead
The Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. Sept. 1, 2004 — Police and fire officials escorted Richmond residents and business owners into their flood-ravaged homes and shops Wednesday, but only to allow them to retrieve pets and essentials such as prescription drugs.

Flooding touched off by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston on Monday left at least seven people dead in Virginia and devastated a historic Richmond district that was the heart of the Confederate capital during the Civil War.

Cleanup and restoration in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood of restaurants, shops and loft apartments will have to wait a day or so until the buildings are deemed safe, said City Manager Calvin Jamison. He said 19 of 230 buildings inspected by midday were condemned.

The damage was estimated at a preliminary $15 million and is likely to go higher.

Shops and restaurants were a watery, mud-caked mess Wednesday, and cars that had crashed into each other as they washed down streets were mired in mud or overturned.

Tonya Entzminger, 31, retrieved an armful of clothes, a mesh bag containing shoes, her cell phone and a muddy purse from her first-floor apartment.

"It looks like Armageddon," she said. "I'm lucky to be alive."

Entzminger said she left in haste when a fire alarm sounded during the storm Monday. On her return, she found her refrigerator had floated across the apartment and blocked the front door, and it took three men to force the door open.

Entzminger said she also lost her car, which was found in a stack of cars with one underneath it and another on top of it.

Entzminger didn't know how she would recover.

"I didn't get renter's insurance. I guess I'll get it now," she said.

The sixth and seventh confirmed victims were found Wednesday, more than a day after the heavy rains ended and floodwaters receded.

Authorities in Dinwiddie County, south of Richmond, found the body of a person who they said was swept away in rushing water while trying to rescue others. No other details were immediately available.

Earlier in the day, a woman's body was found in a wooded area east of the city, after she apparently was swept away while driving. The other victims included two people who may have been part of a human chain trying to reach people stuck inside a van.

The state reported 120 roads remained closed. Many were still under water. At least six bridges were washed out.

"There may be a few more, but until the water recedes, we're not going to know," said Linda South, a Transportation Department spokeswoman. "That's how bad it is out there."

[cape_escape]

How horrible! My thoughts and prayers are with everyone there!

[wlfpack81]

I'm worried about a return situation with Frances. After it moves inland it'll merge with that trough and we could be looking at a devestating inland rain induced flooding event in Ga, Sc, Nc and Va!!! Frances is looking more and more like it could to Andrew in damage costs depending on the track and speed.

[LAwxrgal]

I maintain that Gaston was a minimal hurricane @ landfall.

[NC George]

Naaah. All the water in Richmond was caused by interaction with a cold front, which passed through my area this morning. The front produced more rain than Gaston did when it passed through.

Gaston circled my county (Pitt Co.) in Eastern NC (made landfall S, went through Raliegh due W, then passed N in Southern VA.) We didn't get a thing. One weak rain band, less than 15 mph wind, and that's it.

[arlwx]

I have to respond to THAT. I was nervously eyeing Gaston all day and evening long as I was expecting it to clobber Arlington ((and the DC area)). You could see the eye on the NC/VA border still strong enough to suck water out of the Chesapeake Bay and dump it over Richmond/Petersburg. Gaston was too small to spread all the way to the NC coast then/there.

The problems in Richmond were compounded when the flood wall that had been erected to try to keep the James River OUT of Shoctoe Bottom had the effect of penning in hillside runoff, drowning the Bottom.

[Cousin Dave]

Forecasters in my area really screwed the pooch on this one.