Northern Virginia continued to wring itself out Thursday after enduring what the National Weather Service calls a “300-year” rainstorm.
“You can expect a storm like this every 300 years,” said John Darnley, a weather service meteorologist.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management released preliminary property damage assessments for some of the region’s towns and counties. Fairfax County, with $11.7 million in damage, appears to have faired the worst by far. Prince William County property was dealt just $55,000 damage. Arlington and Alexandria figures were not yet available, according to the department.
“As deeper, more thorough damage assessments are done, these numbers could go up or down,” said Department of Emergency Management spokesman Marc LaFountain.
The storm took the Washington metro region largely by surprise, dropping record rainfalls that caused flash floods and a number of deaths. The deluge was caused by a rare confluence of variables not likely to repeat itself anytime soon, said Darnley.
Conditions have returned to “more of a summertime pattern” now, according to the meteorologist. He said flood waters that had surged in recent days fell sharply Thursday morning.
“We’re looking good,” he said. “A lot of the rivers now are receding.”
A relief fund has been set up for the Huntington area of Fairfax County, where 160 homes in the Arlington Terrace community were declared unfit for habitation after being overtaken by surging waters. Streets are now lined with damaged belongings pulled from basements, said Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerald Hyland.
“The magnitude of the loss is just dramatic,” the supervisor said.
Lend a hand
A relief fund has been set up for Arlington Terrace neighborhood residents, the Fairfax County community believed to be the hardest hit by recent storms.
Checks can be made payable to:
United Community Ministries
7511 Fordson Road
Alexandria, VA 22036
The memo line of the check should read: Huntington Disaster Relief Fund
