DICKENSON COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) – Flash flooding swept through Dickenson County Thursday morning, and emergency officials warned everyone in the area to stay off of roads.
EMA Director Richard Thacker said as of 3:15 p.m., several secondary roads are closed or impassible due to high water, downed trees, or the road being washed out. Rivers were still up in most places. Brush Creek is especially hit hard. Thacker said no one was in need of rescue at the time.
At 9:04 a.m., the Dickenson County Emergency Management Agency declared that the county was under a local disaster. As of 10:40 a.m., Dickenson County Sheriff Jeremy Fleming told News Channel 11 that several roads were closed throughout the county.
“We are advising everyone to stay off of the roadways,” Fleming said.
The Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office posted a list of roads that were closed or impassable, which can be seen by clicking here.
Some of the most impacted areas included Lick Creek Road, Bear Pen Creek, Rush Creek, Brush Creek Road, the Cranesnest Trail and the Bear Pen Recreation area. Heavy flooding was observed at all of those locations, washing over roads and covering playgrounds.
The Bear Pen Recreation area was the site of intense flooding that saw playground equipment either submerged or swept away.
Water was not the only thing making roads impassable. At 10:22 a.m., the sheriff’s office posted photos of large rocks that had fallen onto Flanagan Dam Road next to the tower at the dam. At the time the photos were taken, both lanes were blocked.
Dickenson County was not the only Southwest Virginia County hit by Thursday’s flooding. Evacuations were underway in Wise County and the Town of Pound. Wise County Emergency Management Director Jessica Swinney told News Channel 11 that just before 11 a.m., Pound was considered entirely impassable and inaccessible.
