Tropical Storm Michael In VA: Death Toll Rises To 6

VIRGINIA — Now-post-tropical cyclone Michael continued its destructive path through Virginia Thursday night into early Friday. With it came heavy rain, strong winds, flooding power outages and suspected tornadoes in parts of the state. The storm is also responsible for five deaths. Four victims were swept away in floodwaters on roads and the fifth Virginian killed was a firefighter who died in a crash, according to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

Gov. Ralph Northam said in a press conference Friday the state of emergency remains in effect.

"Yesterday a wide swath of Virginia from southwest to Hampton Roads suffered flooding, high winds and tornado damage from the storm," said Northam. "Today we are assessing damage. We still have flooding, downed trees, closed roads and a lot of debris."

Hanover County Fire-EMS said Lt. Brad Clark died when he and other first responders were on the scene of a two-vehicle crash and a tractor trailer struck the fire truck. Clark died on the scene, and two other firefighters were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. The tractor trailer driver, Lester Labarge, 49, of California, Maryland, was extricated and taken to the hospital with serious injuries. He was charged with reckless driving and was cited for defective brakes.

Three of the other fatalities were in western Virginia, a Virginia Department of Emergency Management official told The Virginian-Pilot. One of these was a driver's vehicle stuck in flash flooding in Pittsylvania County around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. A Pittsylvania County sheriff's deputy and a resident tried to rescue him, but the floodwaters were too swift and deep. Virginia State Police located the man's remains downstream around 10:37 p.m. He was identified as James E. King Jr., 45, of Dry Fork.

Another incident involved a stranded vehicle in Charlotte County around 7:28 p.m. Thursday. The vehicle had three occupants who were clinging to the bridge railings. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office rescued one of the occupants, a 17-year-old man. The other two adults were swept away by rushing floodwaters before deputies could reach them. Authorities recovered the remains of one man overnight. The search continued for the woman, but authorities found her remains as well. The victims were identified as Ruby S. Allen, 62, of Eureka and her son, Ronnie Allen Jr., 32. The 17-year-old man is Ronnie's son.

The two other incidents happened in the City of Danville, located below Pittsylvania County on the North Carolina border. The Danville Police Department reported that William Lynn Tanksley, 53 of Danville was swept away from his vehicle and killed during flash flooding around 5 p.m. Thursday. His body is being taken to Roanoke for an autopsy.

A second fatality in Danville happened around 10:20 p.m. The person was stranded in a vehicle during flash flood waters. The victim will be identified once authorities notify the family.

Virginia State Police responded to 300 crashes and 230 reports of blocked roads and high water. Water rescue teams also rescued three firefighters in Pittsylvania when their boat overturned during a rescue. Police also rescued a man being swept away by flash flooding in Pittsylvania.

The Virginia State Police Med-Flight helicopter made a rescue early Friday in Nottoway County. Around 1:12 a.m. two people became stranded due to rapid flooding and climbed onto the roof of their car. The crew was able to position the helicopter over the car and drop the rescue basket. Both people escaped without injury.

Officials reported an average 4 to 8 inches of rainfall and higher localized numbers on Thursday in the areas hit by the tropical storm. High winds were above 50 mph in some areas.

Ed Baine, the senior vice president of distribution for Dominion Energy, said in a press conference Friday the majority of customers would be restored by the end of Monday. However, Dominion has restored over 200,000 customers, and more will be restored before that Monday timeframe. At the peak, over a half million Virginians statewide lost power, according to PowerOutage.US. Over 20,000 remain without power in Virginia Beach, the state's most populous city.

Baine urges residents to stay away from downed power lines. If you're a Dominion customer, report outages online or by calling 866-366-4357.

Northern Virginia wasn't hit as hard as other areas of the state. Thousands lost power in Fairfax County, the state's most populous county, but that number has since dropped to the hundreds. 1,165 people are out in Stafford County, and other counties had outages in the hundreds.

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The Virginia Department of Emergency Management said the storm brought five suspected tornadoes: in Amelia County, James City County, New Kent County, Pittsylvania County, Halifax County and Gloucester County. The National Weather Service will confirm how many tornadoes occurred and inflicted damage.

Two shelters are open: in Danville and Salem. Around 16 Pittsylvania County residents are receiving shelter in hotels. The Virginia National Guard remains stationed in Danville.

As of 7 a.m. Friday, state officials reported 1,200 closed roads or hazards. VDOT is working to clear the roads. To see road conditions around the state, visit www.511Virginia.org or call 511.

Just six inches of rushing water can carry away an adult and 12 inches can carry away a small car."We cannot stress enough that motorists should adjust their driving to the road conditions caused by any storm," said Northam. "Please don't drive across flooded roadways. These are dangerous driving conditions."

Michael crossed into southeastern Virginia overnight before moving into the Atlantic Ocean overnight and becoming a post-tropical cyclone.

“Michael is now extratropical and will accelerate away from the area today,” said the National Weather Service office in Wakefield at 7 a.m. Friday. “Remaining breezy today, and river flooding will be an issue through early next week. The good news? More seasonable temperatures have arrived and will be sticking around through the weekend!”

In the DC region, the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory through 11 a.m. Friday. Forecasters said the area can expect winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Strong winds have potential to knock over trees and power lines.

Southwest Virginia, including the cities of Roanoke and Salem, were pounded with torrential rains and subsequent flooding Thursday. Emergency management officials reported seeing extreme flooding across the region with numerous swift water rescues and evacuations.

MORE HURRICANE MICHAEL COVERAGE:

• VA Firefighter Dies In Crash During Tropical Storm Michael
• Videos: Dangerous Flash Flooding Submerges Cars At Virginia Mall
  
• Safety Tips For Virginians To Prepare For Tropical Storm Michael
• Frustrated FEMA Director Says Victims Need To Take Responsibility

Main image: Search and rescue divers look for a person swept away by floodwaters in Charlotte County. Image via Virginia State Police