BUCHANAN COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday visited Buchanan County families impacted by Tuesday night’s floods.
At 11 a.m., the governor arrived at Twin Valley Elementary/Middle School to unload supplies at the community resource center and meet with families to hear firsthand accounts of the flooding that either damaged or destroyed 400 structures.
Youngkin shook hands with those who played a role in locating those who were unaccounted for in the two days that followed the natural disaster.
“The most impactful thing that we know is not a single person lost their life,” Youngkin said. “We sat around over the course of Wednesday and Thursday and were just absolutely praying on pins and needles that they’d find everybody.
“God blessed everybody that was able to locate all those folks that we were really worried about.”
Youngkin said that this week’s sense of community reminded him of what was seen in the aftermath of another recent flood in Buchanan County that swept across the Hurley area and took one life.
“When I was out here last summer after the Hurley flood — you just watch the whole community come together,” he said. “It’s so inspiring. The reality is the spirit of Virginia is alive here in a big, big way.”
Groups and organizations that band together make all the difference in recovery efforts, Youngkin said.
“You see the volunteer organizations; you see the faith organizations,” he said. “You see the great businesses like Food City that are sending supplies.”
Youngkin then traveled to M&M Body Shop in Pilgrims Knob — one area that was hit the hardest — to see how businesses were impacted and meet the business owners.
“There’s going to be a ton of clean-up,” Youngkin said. “We’re going to aggressively pursue a federal declaration, but we’ve got to go through the work first of making sure we have a full assessment of the damage; we’re going that quickly.”
Buchanan County Eric Breeding on Thursday said recovery efforts are expected to last throughout the next several weeks along with damage assessment.
Those interested in donating can do so by clicking here.
