‘This is a disaster’ Flooding, power outages hit Grayson County

GRAYSON CO., Va. (WDBJ) – What started as a power outage due to strong winds early Friday morning quickly turned into a life-threatening situation as rains caused devastating flooding in Southwest Virginia.

“I think this is a disaster for our district; I don’t know the last time we had something this bad in Grayson County,” resident Larissa Venzie said.

Power was out, cellphone service was disrupted and many roads were impassable on Monday.

“There are still people who can’t leave their homes, and so someone has to come in and give them food and water because they don’t have power,” said local resident Justine Jackson-Ricketts.

Emergency responders face challenges trying to reach residents in need. First responders mobilized teams to deliver supplies on foot to the homes they could reach.

“We have damage assessment teams in place right now to make sure we understand how bad it is, and we’re building that out minute by minute,” Grayson County Emergency Services Coordinator Paul Hoyle said.

Hoyle said reports indicate a dozen homes were completely destroyed and many more suffered significant damage. The farming community was also significantly affected.

“There will be people who have lifelong impacts on the county. “This is a very traumatic event for people,” Hoyle added.

There is a ray of hope in this dark environment. A light of a community coming together to support each other.

“We have already begun our recovery process and will assist our citizens in every way possible to help them return to normal life as quickly as possible,” Hoyle said.

“We have a community of people who will step up all the way down to the bottom,” Venzie said. “We will stand up and take care of each other.”

Donations can be dropped off at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building or the Independence Volunteer Fire Department.

Authorities are asking people to stay safe as they continue to inspect the road.

If you have an emergency, Grayson County’s hotline number is 276-200-4654.