Carroll County declared a state of emergency over emergency channels before noon Friday, advising residents to shelter in place and not to travel due to flooding and trees downed as remnants of Hurricane Helene moved across the region.
Numerous businesses and governmental agencies closed for the day, including Hillsville Town Hall and the Carroll County Governmental Center, as weather conditions were making for hazardous roadways and numerous utility fires due to the storm. Before noon Friday, Hillsville Volunteer Fire Department and Carroll County Fire and Rescue were called to investigate smoke in a home in the Pleasantview Road area with 13 children and caregivers asked to evacuate before the scene was cleared at 11:55 a.m.
The National Weather Service out of Blacksburg issued flood warnings for the New River affecting City of Radford, Pulaski and Montgomery independent cities, with the New River near Galax affecting Carroll, the City of Galax and Grayson County. The New River at Allisonia was also affecting Pulaski and Wythe counties.
Widespread power outages, flooding and downed trees added to an already full slate of emergencies for local responders with fire and rescue teams advised at 12:22 p.m. to use primary communication channels for evacuations and life-threatening emergencies.
On Thursday afternoon, American Electric Power (AEP) reported "nearly 60 percent of customers who lost power last night due to severe thunderstorms have been restored. At its peak, the storm resulted in power outages for approximately 10,000 customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee."
The company estimate shortly after 2:45 p.m. Thursday about 3,500 customers were still without power following the night’s severe weather. Virginia, which peaked at 6,500 customers without power at 7 a.m., later had just over 2,300 customers out. West Virginia at that time had 1,100 customers out, followed by Tennessee, which had approximately 100 customers without power.
According to AEP, restoration times were delayed in some areas due to continued heavy rains. Nearly 100 additional workers traveled to the hardest hit areas of southwest Virginia to assist with restoration. As expected, Hurricane Helene continued dropping heavy rain with gusty winds in the area. All Appalachian Power crews and contractors are on alert in their respective locations, packed and prepared to work.
Remnants of Hurricane Helene were expected to continue to impact our service territory over the next couple of days. Heavy rain and strong, gusty winds may impact restoration efforts and increase outage numbers in some areas.
Plan in the event a power outage occurs. Check with those who are elderly, have young children or have medical conditions to ensure they have a plan — and don't forget your pets.
Charge devices such as phones, laptops, portable chargers and other electronics that will help you stay connected.
Prepare an emergency kit. At a minimum, include non-perishable food, water, a flashlight, batteries, a battery-powered radio, a first-aid kit and necessary medications.
Windstorms cause damage which can bring down power lines. Residents should treat all downed lines as live power lines and stay away from them. Never touch downed power lines or sparking equipment. Keep children and pets away from fallen lines and anything the lines may touch and call 911 and Appalachian Power at 1-800-956-4237 immediately.
Do not plug the generator into your circuit box using a portable or RV generator. Flooding is expected to continue in many areas throughout our service territory. Be cautious, and remember to turn around; don’t drown.
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