Virginia feels sting from hurricane Helene

Though not as devastatingly impacted as the Southeast, Virginia still felt the sting of Hurricane Helene. ABC News Channel 8 said that while Virginia was not directly hit by the storm, it still brought severe weather, including heavy rain.

According to Virginia Mercury, one person was pronounced dead after a tree fell and caused a building to collapse in Craig County. Wythe, Augusta, Pulaski and Giles counties and the City of Salem in the southwest region of the state are under a voluntary evacuation order because of the storm, according to Virginia Mercury.

“While these are voluntary evacuation orders for particular communities, please adhere to them for your safety. Your life is too important,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said.

In Bedford County, a tornado was confirmed to touch down Sept. 27 during the afternoon, according to WSET. The tornado caused damage to trees, homes and yards.

“We saw rotating storms with some of the outer rain bands associated with the remnants of what was once Hurricane Helene, as it moved kind of northwest into the Tennessee valley,” National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Butts said, according to WSET.

In addition, an EF2 tornado struck the community in Pittsylvania County with winds speeds up to 118 mph, according to WSLS. The WSLS report said 20 homes and one trailer were damaged in this storm. 

Inside WSET’s coverage area, 17 tornado warnings were issued Friday, according to a Facebook post by meteorologist Will Stafford.

According to Cardinal News, more than 240,000 utility customers were without power across the state because of the severe weather including almost the entirety of Bland, Russell and Grayson counties. Cardinal News said to be cautious of the rivers that continue to swell as the rainwater makes its way down to the common waterways; the New River and the Roanoke River are both over 10 feet out of their banks.

The Virginia National Guard (VNG) stated that they have launched a response operation to assist with the damage from Hurricane Helene. Around 20 soldiers with high mobility tactical trucks were ready to transport victims to safety as needed starting Sept. 26. The VNG also deployed two Black Hawk helicopters to aid in rescue and relief.

This is a developing story; all facts were accurate as of Sept. 30.

Barber is the off-campus news editor for the Liberty Champion.