Record-setting weekend rains wreaked havoc across Northern Virginia Monday as floods washed away parking lots, forced residentsto evacuate sewage-filled homes, left thousands without power and stranded hundreds on roadways.
Commuters saw massive delays after a mudslide blanketed a major intersection of Interstate 495 and Telegraph Road with 5 feet of sludge.
The severe delays were felt through the lunch hour despite tens of thousands of government workers taking unscheduled leave. The Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, Commerce Department, the National Archives and several Smithsonian museums were closed because of flooding problems.
Several sinkholes — some as deep as 15 feet — opened in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax counties, but were quickly covered with metal plates. No one was reported to be injured, officials said.
While the National Weather Service says a flash-flood watch will remain in effect through this evening, police and transportation officials said they expect most major roadways to be cleared and open for the morning commute.
Problems were compounded as all Virginia Railway Express trains were canceled, forcing commuters onto the Metro system and the roadways. Metro’s Orange, Yellow and Blue lines — most of which had to travel on a single track — saw at least hour-long delays because of a ripple effect caused because three of the system’s busier stations were closed so workers could pump water from underground tunnels.
“Unless we get a lot of rain like we did last night we didn’t think we [would] have this type of problems,” said Virginia State Police Sgt. Terry Licklider.
The commute into the District, however, depends largely on how fast District officials are able to reopen several major routes, including the Constitution Avenue and 12th Street Tunnel, which remained under as much as 10 inches of water through Monday afternoon.
As the rainwater continues to make its way down the Potomac River, flooding remains a serious threat for the NorthernVirginia’s lower-lying areas.
Dan Tangherlini, Metro interim general manager and former D.C. Department of Transportation director, said the massive river surge is expected sometime Thursday and “it should be an interesting week.”
Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax counties all activated their Emergency Operations Centers early Monday.
