Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Tropical Storm Michael devastated Virginia, killing at least five people, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and making many roads impassable. Gov. Ralph Northam said a state of emergency remained in effect Friday as crews work to restore power and reopen roads.
Four people drowned, according to Northam, and Lt. Brad Clark with the Hanover County Fire-EMS Department died when the fire truck he was riding in was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer while responding to a crash on I-295 during the storm. Virginia State Police said three other firefighters in the truck were seriously injured.
“We hope that the number of fatalities due to the storm will not increase,” Northam said during a press conference Friday afternoon.
At least one person is missing. VSP Superintendent Gary Settle said they’re looking for a person who got swept away in a car during the storm. They found the vehicle but not the person they know was inside of it.
“Whether they got out safely, we don’t know. As time goes on, that’s not as promising,” Settle said.
While police search for the motorist, Dominion Energy is working to restore power for more than 400,000 customers according to the company’s Ed Baine. At the height of the storm Thursday, Baine said more than 500,000 customers were in the dark.
Dominion expects to restore power for the vast majority of its customers by the end of the day on Monday, but Baine added others will get power back well before then. He cautioned people to treat all downed power lines as though they are energized.
Meanwhile, Northam said Virginia Department of Transportation crews are working around the clock to clear hazards on more than 1,200 roads, 600 of which were closed as of Friday morning.
Those crews are dealing with downed trees, flooded roadways and washed out roads according to the governor.
The National Weather Service is looking to confirm how many tornadoes touched down in the commonwealth. Northam said there were reports of five tornadoes in the following counties: Amelia, James City, New Kent, Pittsylvania, Halifax and Gloucester.
The director of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management Jeffrey Stern said the recovery will take several days or longer in some communities. He expects it will take state, local and federal officials between seven and 10 days to complete damage assessments.
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