Residents of the most seriously flooded area in North Virginia are demanding an independent investigation into why their homes were inundated and what authorities are going to do about it.
On a muggy Thursday afternoon in Huntington, amid bustling county inspectors, contractors and homeowners all entrenched in post-flood recovery, two residents are gathering support signature by signature.
Geoff Livingston and Everald Harrison, and everyone who signed their petition, are demanding answers. Livingston, 34, and Harrison, 59, who live on Arlington Terrace, want to see an independent investigation into the swift and devastating flooding that struck that East Fairfax County community the night of June 25.
“People have lived on this street for 50-some years, they have never seen this kind of flooding even during the worst of hurricanes,” said Livingston, who ran a public relations agency from his basement until it was inundated by rushing, sewage-mingled waters from nearby Cameron Run.
Added Livingston: “This was an unnatural event.”
Possible contributing factors to Cameron Run’s sudden swelling during the summer storm are now under investigation by Fairfax County. Directly after the flood, 160 homes in the area were declared unfit for habitation. Countywide, damage estimates run in the millions.
Some residents spoke positively about the county’s recovery effort, though they said they still want answers.
“Clearly the issue is, was there a problem with Cameron Run?” asked Thomas Stagnaro, who was working Thursday on his daughter’s house on Fenwick Drive.
Many hypotheses have been put forth to explain the phenomenon. Some say the construction of Woodrow Wilson Bridge was involved. One frequently heard theory is that water was released from Barcroft dam around the time of the event, though an official in charge of the dam said those accusations are misguided.
“I think they’re looking for a reason that the flooding happened, and the reason is we got that many inches of rain,” said Charles de Seve, chairman of the board of trustees of the Lake Barcroft Water Improvement District.
Seve said the dam is required to let out as much water as it lets in, and is not able to hold back flood waters.
“To some degree, development has speeded up the water flow,” he said. “There is certainly nothing that we here at the dam can do about that.”
The operators of Barcroft Dam are among those the county is working with in its investigation of the flood, said county spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald. The Virginia Department of Transportation, the city of Alexandria and the Army Corps Of Engineers are also involved. The corps, she said, have agreed to conduct their own study.
