The Washington region began to clean up this weekend after a week of deadly rains that killed four, swamped roads, washed away bridges and shuttered schools and offices. Gov. Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency for Virginia on Friday, giving flooded localities access to state dollars and help in staying afloat and cleaning up.
The week’s rain battered the region, falling at several inches per hour in some areas. Parts of Fairfax County received 13 inches of rainfall in just 48 hours.
On Saturday, Fairfax County emergency workers put away their rubber rescue boats and got out their water pumps to dry the basements of about 160 flooded homes in Huntington. The department rescued more than 100 people from floodwaters Thursday and Friday.
“We were rescuing people who were stranded on the tops of the roofs of their car. We rescued people in the water floating downstream. We rescued people that were holding onto trees and cars. It was a harrowing experience for a lot of firefighters,” said Fairfax County fire department spokesman Dan Schmidt. “The amount of water was just totally incredible.”
Emergency officials across the Washington area worked to reopen roads and clean up debris. Fairfax County police pulled two cars out of a sinkhole Friday, and Maryland State Highway Administration officials cleared away debris from highways and drainage pipes and repaired washed-away roads.
In Prince William County, about 300 people took shelter in Woodbridge High School over the weekend, their homes flooded and unhabitable. The Red Cross provided services, and the county planned to relocate the stranded residents to a recreation center Sunday to allow the school to reopen Monday.
Prince George’s County officials assessed damage to the County Administration Building Friday after the ground floor became a lake between 18 to 24 inches deep. All the carpet and some flooring will need to be replaced, authorities said.
Water Street, the main route into Upper Marlboro from Route 4, was under 8 feet of water on Thursday afternoon. Residents watched the waters recede Friday and Saturday.
“I’ve never seen it this bad,” business owner Donnell Long said. “We get floods here all the time, and it wasn’t even this bad after Hurricane Irene.”
Ben Giles contributed to this report.
