Monday, February 11, 2008
High winds rip region, knock out power
High winds battered Virginia on Sunday, fanning wildfires, downing trees and leaving many in the dark.
Photo submitted by Scott Craig
Roanoke.com contributer Scott Craig took this photo of the fire near the intersection of Plantation Road and I-81 Sunday. See a larger version
High winds wreaked havoc in the Roanoke Valley on Sunday, felling trees, knocking out power and causing dozens of small fires sparked by fallen power lines.
Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency because of the numerous wildfires reported across Virginia.
Winds as high as 67 mph were clocked at Roanoke Regional Airport at about 4 p.m., and a 74 mph gust was measured in Hot Springs. Gusts topping 60 mph were common across Southwest Virginia.
The winds led Bedford County officials to order the midday evacuation of more than 500 homes near a brush fire northwest of Montvale.
The weather also kept the presidential campaigns of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama from visiting Roanoke, disappointing hundreds who waited in the blustery weather.
No serious injuries were reported as a result of the fires, downed trees and power lines and blowing debris.
More than 80,000 Appalachian Power Co. customers in Virginia had lost power by Sunday evening, according to spokesman Todd Burns.
With more damaged lines being reported during the afternoon and evening, Burns added, those without power need to be prepared for lengthy outages. He estimated most customers would have power by midnight Tuesday but said other parts of the Roanoke Valley could be without power until as late as midnight Wednesday.
Sunday evening the city opened a shelter in the Roanoke Civic Center Exhibition Hall for those without power. Spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury said those coming to the shelter should bring any medications they might need. She also said that, as of Sunday night, pets were not allowed at the shelter.
Earlier Sunday in Montvale, the American Red Cross opened a shelter for families displaced by the brush fire threat. By midafternoon 10 families were registered, according to Doug Eggleston, emergency services director with the Bedford chapter of the Red Cross.
"We are here to provide them with a place to stay and a hot meal," he said.
The Montvale fire, which covered 50 to 60 acres Saturday evening, had grown to more than 400 to 500 acres by Sunday morning, said county spokesman Bill Hoy.
Wind gusts created clouds of heavy smoke, making it impossible for officials to gauge exactly how far the fire had spread, he said.
Bedford County utilized its reverse 911 system to evacuate more than 500 residences in the vicinity of Camp Jaycee Road.
Loretta Reaves of Black Horse Gap Road in Montvale said sheriff's deputies knocked on her door before 9 a.m. with instructions to evacuate.
She said she gathered medication, photographs, a television set and her two Labrador retrievers and headed to the emergency shelter at Montvale Elementary.
Although pets are not allowed at the shelter, Reaves was allowed to keep the dogs outside for a brief period.
Unsure about where the dogs would go, Reaves said she prayed about it with a fire department chaplain.
"The next thing you know a woman showed up to take the dogs," Reaves said.
Barbara Steele, owner of a Stewartsville-based dog grooming business, offered to keep the dogs until Reaves could return home.
Bedford County officials have reported 10 other fires burning in the county. A second evacuation shelter was set up at Saunders Volunteer Fire Department in Huddleston, where six residences on Tolers Ferry Road were evacuated. Tolers Ferry Road is located in the southern part of Bedford County near Smith Mountain Lake.
All Bedford County Public Schools will be closed today as a result of the emergencies.
Roanoke city schools have also announced they will be closed today because of power outages.
In Roanoke County, meanwhile, fire and rescue crews fought four brush fires Sunday.
A cabin fire at Pine Needle Drive in Clearbrook and a brush fire at Leffler Lane in Back Creek were under control by the evening.
The largest two fires, near Loch Haven Drive, had consumed more than 300 acres by Sunday night. One was at Timberview Road and the other at Angel Lane. Although crews were monitoring several buildings at risk along these Roanoke County routes, no structures had been reported damaged.
Joyce Harper, rescue chief for the Hollins station, said, "They called for all volunteers to show up at about 1:09 p.m."
The firefighting efforts eventually grew to include more than 200 Roanoke County personnel.
Police shut down Loch Haven Drive, and closed it at its intersection with Belle Haven Road.
Smoke from the fire also forced the Virginia Department of Transportation to close parts of Interstate 81. At about 5 p.m. the southbound lanes from mile markers 143 to 146 were shut down and traffic was diverted between Plantation Road and Interstate 581.
The lanes remained closed until just before 8 p.m.
In Botetourt County, firefighters responded to more than a dozen small fires sparked by fallen utility lines Sunday afternoon.
"We are maxed to the hilt," said Spencer Suter, the county's emergency services manager. "It is really straining the resources."
No injuries or damage to structures had been reported, Suter said.
At about 4 p.m. a power line fell across U.S. 460 near Parkway Drive, starting small fires on both sides of the road and forcing its temporary closure.
Several Botetourt County firefighters who had been assisting with the Montvale fire were forced to leave the scene to respond to the fire on U.S. 460, Suter said.
Sunday's heavy winds were caused by the arrival of a strong Arctic cold front -- fast winds a few thousand feet high sank toward the surface as cold, dense air moved downward into slightly warmer air at ground level.
Temperatures were forecast to be in the teens this morning across Southwest Virginia as the Arctic air moves in, but the cold snap will be short-lived. Temperatures are expected to be well above freezing before the next chance of rain on Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Columnist Kevin Myatt contributed to this report.
