Flood — Pulaski, Virginia

2024-09-27 to 2024-09-30 · near Draper, Pulaski, Virginia

Event narrative

Flood waters along the New River were observed rising an average of 2 feet per hour during the flooding associated with Hurricane Helene. At the height of the damage inflicted by Helene, Claytor Lake had a debris field that was 4+ miles long, covered 250+ acres, and weighed an estimated 240 tons. The debris was washed in from Major Flooding along the New River upstream of the reservoir. Debris included uprooted or snapped trees, boats and docks, and portions of buildings. About 25% of collected material is manmade. The debris also included hazardous materials such as fuel tanks and chemical waste containers. It was estimated that it would take several months to clean the majority of the debris from the lake, with the effort conducted by dozens of organizations, some using heavy construction vehicles such as excavators loaded onto barges. Ten swift water rescues occurred within the county, with drones considered an asset in confirming which subjects were in need of being rescued. A total of 10 road closures were reported in Pulaski County. There were 819 structures were within the floodplain, 12 of which were destroyed, 65 were majorly damaged, 39 were minorly damaged, totaling about $5 million worth of property damage. Total debris removal as of January 2025 was at least 600 tons, and still climbing. Overall damage assessment for Pulaski County is estimated to be approaching $7 million.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning, weakening as it moved over land. Helene's intensity and fast forward motion led to impacts being felt well inland, from the Florida Big Bend area into the Appalachians, almost only 12 hours after landfall, and there was extensive damage in southwest Virginia. Widespread cellular service and power outages, some lasting for several days, occurred as high winds downed thousands of trees across the region. Winds gusted as high as 55 mph to 65 mph in southwest Virginia. There were three confirmed tornadoes associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene in the Piedmont of Virginia. Flooding impacts from Hurricane Helene were extensive across the area, and were exacerbated by a predecessor rainfall event that occurred a day before Helene reached the region, which brought six to eight inches of rain to the mountains prior to the arrival of the remnants of Helene. The three day rainfall totals associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene were highest Grayson and Smyth Counties, where observations of 10 to locally 15 inches of rain were recorded. The Piedmont of Virginia received much less rain, between one and two inches, with a couple areas around three inches. Total economic losses for Virginia, which include Virginia's agriculture, forestry, and other industries, are expected to range between $416 million and $630 million per an economic analysis released by Virginia Tech researchers.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.9786, -80.7523)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1212556. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.