For Immediate Release: February 16, 2025
Contacts: Office of the Governor:Peter Finocchio, Peter.finocchio@governor.virginia.govOffice of the Governor:Peter Finocchio, Peter.finocchio@governor.virginia.gov

Governor Glenn Youngkin Submits Request for an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for Communities Impacted by Recent Storms

RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that he submitted an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration to President Donald J. Trump to support the ongoing response and recovery efforts of communities impacted by the recent winter storms.  

“Over the past week, the Commonwealth has been hit extremely hard, particularly in areas that are still recovering from Hurricane Helene,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “This is the fifth major flood in this area in the past five years and there is significant damage that is affecting community lifelines. It is critical that we provide relief, and we will certainly take every measure possible to ensure that these areas are able to make a full recovery as quickly as possible. I want to thank our state and local agencies, and our federal, state and local elected officials for the incredible collaboration, and our first responders who have courageously made more than 150 swift water rescues and facilitated emergency operations that have saved lives throughout these storms.” 

As the winter storms and flooding moved in, over seven inches of rain fell in some areas of Southwest Virginia with significant life-threatening flash flooding across Virginia’s most vulnerable and least resourced areas, resulting in historic river crests on the James River and other major waterways that have not been seen in the commonwealth since 1977. This resulted in critical infrastructure damages, over 203,000 customers without power at its peak, over 270 road closures including low water bridge and road washouts, and 9-1-1 center outages. The towns of Grundy and Hurley (Buchanan County) have experienced catastrophic flooding, with the river gauges in these towns spiking historical flood levels. Throughout the regions, over 150 swift water rescues, including evacuations, were made on Sunday, February 16. Support efforts continue as high water is blocking access to critical facilities, and access to the hardest hit areas is not yet available due to receding water and debris. 

SUMMARY OF ALL EMERGENCY ACTIONS TAKEN  

• A State of Emergency was declared by Governor Youngkin on February 10, 2025. 
• The Virginia Emergency Support Team has been monitoring the forecast and activated the state emergency operations center to Yellow: Increased Readiness on 2/9/25 and moved to Red: Full Activation on 2/11/25 at 0700 to coordinate activities related to the storm.  
• The Logistics Support and Coordination Center is fully staffed and remains ready to deploy emergency response assets and supplies as needed to affected areas.  
• VDEM’s Regional Coordination Centers (RCC) were stood up across the commonwealth to coordinate local resource requests and needs.  
• VDEM is working with localities to assess the need to support residents without power with food, water, and resources for local warming centers as requested. 
• VDEM is coordinating and deploying water, meals, generators, and mass care supplies in support of ongoing local response and sheltering efforts. 
• Two Incident Management Type 1 Teams deployed to Southwest Virginia’s RCC to support the region. 
• VDEM is coordinating with the Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) to provide support to the communities.  
• The VEST has held several calls with local elected officials to keep them updated on current impacts and response operations.  
• Swiftwater teams from the State Water Rescue Program from as far away as Virginia Beach were staged in Bristol, Wytheville, Lebanon and Norton/Wise. These locations are used as starting points to access portions of Southwest Virginia quickly. 
• Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are also on station in the Southwest Virginia area and available for missions as needed through the weekend.  
• The VNG Black Hawk crews and Chesterfield Fire & Emergency Medical Services rescue technicians form the Virginia Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team to provide rotary wing aviation hoist capabilities and aerial rescue evacuation. Four VNG Soldiers and three Chesterfield techs make up each HART crew. 
• Over 150 swift water rescues, including evacuations, have been performed. 
• Approximately 55 Virginia National Guard (VNG) Soldiers and Airmen provided commodity distribution, transportation and chain saw teams for debris reduction on Saturday, February 15, in Southwest Virginia. They are staged in Abingdon, Cedar Bluff and Wytheville and available for missions on Sunday, February 16. 
• VNG Soldiers linked up late Sunday evening with Richlands Fire Rescue Department to assist overnight with clearing debris and providing transportation assistance. Soldiers assisted evacuating 52 adults, 12 children, four infants and 26 pets to safety. 
• VNG Soldiers completed two missions on Saturday, February 15, assisting with commodity distribution in Dublin and debris reduction in Richlands. 
• The VNG conducted nine missions on February 14 and 15, distributing nearly 930 cases of water and more than 590 cases of food in Dublin, Hillsville, Pulaski and Rocky Mount. Soldiers cleared 13 trees and other debris in the vicinity of Fancy Gap. 
• Virginia State Police (VSP) adjusted manpower both on the roads and in dispatch centers to ensure that the department could respond efficiently to each crash. Additional troopers were brought in from across the state to support flooded areas in southwest Virginia.  
• VSP provided UAS capabilities to assist with damage assessment and has also staged Aviation resources in the region prior to the storm to mitigate impacts and assess damages as soon as the weather allows. 
• Virginia State Police troopers have been helping check on homes, assisting the Sheriff's Offices with calls, conducting rescues, and helping with detours. The evening of February 15, VSP rescued 6 people from cars in Buchanan. 
• In addition, VSP is providing the following assistance: 
• Multiple VSP swift water rescue teams are deployed, including troops and boats. 
• Three helicopters are staged in Abingdon for rescue missions and damage assessment. 
• VSP also has UTVs and drone teams on site. 
• Mobile Command Post was sent to Buchanan County at the Keen Mountain Correctional Center. 
• Communications techs are on site with a radio cache (30) and 2 satellite phones. 
• VSP brought in two squads, 28 trooper and 4 sergeants, from two other divisions for additional assistance 
• VSP Incident Management Team has also been deployed 
• VSP has an additional helicopter in Lynchburg and three in Chesterfield ready to respond. 
• As of Sunday, February 16, at 6:30 a.m., there are 12 primary roads and 234 secondary roads closed due to flooding, downed trees or utility lines. These closures are located in the Bristol, Culpeper, Lynchburg, Salem and Staunton districts. VDOT is actively responding. 
• Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews continue working 24 hours a day, in 12-hour shifts, to address impacts from this latest storm. Additional resources are being deployed from less affected parts of the state to areas that experienced greater impacts. 
• Virginia Department of Forestry Forest Wardens are supporting fire department flood responses and swift water rescues in the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Smyth, Tazewell and Wise. 
• A portion of DOF’s Western Region Incident Management Team is working to coordinate the response and is provide logistical support of the agencies ongoing response efforts. 
• DOF will continue to provide staffing of both the state EOC and its agency command center in Charlottesville. 
• The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Breaks Interstate Park Law Enforcement Rangers assisted local jurisdictions with flood response in Buchanan County. 
• The Virginia Department of Health is monitoring the commonwealth’s public health issues related to the current inclement weather. 

PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS 

As communities continue to face flooding concerns, below are some flood safety and preparedness tips. 

Failing to evacuate flooded areas, entering flood waters, or remaining after a flood has passed can result in injury or death. Flooding is a temporary overflow of water onto land that is normally dry. Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States.  

• Remember that flash floods can come with no warning. They can cause outages, disrupt transportation, damage buildings, and create landslides. 
• Do not walk, swim, or drive through flood waters. Turn Around, Don’t Drown! 
• Just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away. 
• Stay off of bridges over fast-moving water. 
• Stay away from downed wires and do not approach or touch trees or limbs that are entangled with wires as they could be extremely dangerous. If those are in state maintained roadways, VDOT crews must await the power company to remove any electrical hazard before addressing downed trees or other roadway debris.  
• Power outages are affecting traffic signals in some areas. Treat all inoperable traffic signals as four-way stops.  
• For questions or to report hazardous road conditions such as flooding or downed trees and powerlines, contact VDOT’s 24-hour Customer Service Center by visiting my.vdot.virginia.gov or calling 800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623).  
• Check roadway conditions by using VDOT’s free 511 mobile app, which offers information about road conditions, traffic, incidents, construction and congestion as well as access to traffic cameras, weather and more. Information is also available at 511.vdot.virginia.gov or by calling 511 while in Virginia.  
• Visit VDOT’s Districts webpage for more details in your area. 
• Determine how best to protect yourself based on the type of flooding. 
• Evacuate if told to do so. 
• Move to higher ground or a higher floor. 
• Stay where you are. 

How to prepare for flooding:

• Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. 
• If flash flooding is a risk in your location, then monitor potential signs, such as heavy rain. 
• Learn and practice evacuation routes, shelter plans, and flash flood response. 
• Gather supplies in case you have to leave immediately, or if services are cut off. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Don’t forget the needs of pets. Obtain extra batteries and charging devices for phones and other critical equipment. 
• Keep important documents in a waterproof container. Create password-protected digital copies. 
• Protect your property. Move valuables to higher levels. Declutter drains and gutters.  

What to do during a flood: 

• Depending on where you are, and the impact and the warning time of flooding, go to the safe location that you previously identified. 
• If told to evacuate, do so immediately. Never drive around barricades. Local responders use them to safely direct traffic out of flooded areas. 
• Listen to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio, or local alerting systems for current emergency information and instructions. 
• Do not walk, swim, or drive through flood waters. Turn Around. Don’t Drown! 
• Stay off bridges over fast-moving water. Fast-moving water can wash bridges away without warning. 
• If your vehicle is trapped in rapidly moving water, then stay inside. If water is rising inside the vehicle, then seek refuge on the roof. 
• If trapped in a building, then go to its highest level. Do not climb into a closed attic. You may become trapped by rising floodwater. Go on the roof only if necessary. Once there, signal for help. 

Be safe after a flood: 

• Listen to authorities for information and instructions. Return home only when authorities say it is safe. 
• Avoid driving, except in emergencies. 
• Wear heavy gloves and boots during clean up. 
• Be aware of the risk of electrocution. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. If it is safe to do so, turn off the electricity to prevent electric shock. 
• Avoid wading in floodwater, which can contain dangerous debris and be contaminated. Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water. 
• Use a generator or other gasoline-powered machinery ONLY outdoors and away from windows. 

Cleaning up from a flood: 

• Personal safety is always the highest priority when entering buildings damaged by floodwater. 
• Check for structural damage before re-entering your home to avoid being trapped in a building collapse. 
• Keep power off until an electrician has inspected your system for safety. 
• Turn off the gas. Be alert for gas leaks. 
• Look before you step. After a flood, the ground and floors are covered with debris, including broken bottles and nails. Floors and stairs that have been covered with mud can be very slippery. 
• Take photos of any floodwater in your home and of damaged items for insurance purposes. 
• Rescue the most valuable items but never attempt to salvage belongings at the expense of your own safety. 
• Wear long sleeves, sturdy shoes or waterproof boots, and plastic or rubber gloves during cleanup. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and clean water or use a hand-cleaning gel with alcohol in it. 
• Mold can form within 48 hours; you will need to work fast. If you do encounter extensive mold, use protective gear such as gloves, goggles, and an N95 or N100 face mask, available at most hardware stores. 
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers guidelines for mold cleanup after floods. 
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a number of helpful resources, about hazards you may encounter when cleaning up inside and outside your home.

Emergency Alerts  

• These days, emergency alerts can reach you in so many ways–WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts) come to your cell phone, EAS (Emergency Alert System) on TV and Radio, NOAA weather radio alerts, mobile apps and more. It’s important to have several different ways you can receive emergency alerts, and to be armed with the knowledge you need before an emergency happens.  
• Know the current forecast and get alerted for any watches, warnings, or advisories on the National Weather Service’s website  
• Download FEMA app and local news apps for severe weather alerts  
• Sign up to receive alerts on your phone, tune in to your local weather station, or listen to your NOAA Weather Radio  

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