Virginia authorities say four people drowned and a firefighter was killed, raising Michael-related death toll to 11. Power companies are working to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands. RICHMOND — Virginia authorities say four people drowned and a firefighter was killed, raising the Michael-related death toll to 11. Many lost power after a night of violent winds, flooding and even a few tornadoes. “As we see, each time a storm hits, these storms are unpredictable,” Gov. Ralph Northam said at a Friday afternoon news conference. “Yesterday, a wide swath of Virginia — from southwest to Hampton Roads — suffered flooding high winds and tornado damage from this storm.” Overall, Virginia got 4–8 inches of rain, with some areas getting higher totals locally. Virginia Department of Emergency Management spokesman Jeff Caldwell said that four people drowned: three in the western part of the state and a fourth in central Virginia. Widespread flash flooding was reported along the Interstate 81 corridor, from Danville to Roanoke. “We are seeing a major statewide impact from the storm, and we will have to continue to clean up and recover from this storm for several days,” Caldwell told WTOP. A firefighter, Lt. Brad Clark, also was killed, he said, when a tractor-trailer slammed into his fire truck while he was responding to a two-car crash on Interstate 295 in Hanover County during heavy storm conditions. Search and recovery efforts were underway Friday afternoon for a missing motorist as well, said Jeff Stern, state coordinator of emergency management. The commonwealth’s Department of Transportation was clearing hazards on 1,200 roads, Northam said, 600 of which were closed. “We cannot stress enough that motorists should adjust their driving to the road conditions caused by any storm,” he said. As of Friday afternoon, Dominion Energy was working to restore service to about 400,000 customers who were still in the dark after gusts up to 75 miles per hour and heavy rain damaged electrical infrastructure throughout the region. At a news conference Friday afternoon, Dominion Energy’s Ed Baine said the vast majority of effected customers should have their power restored by Monday. “As we begin this multiday restoration effort, we appreciate the patience of our customers and urge them to stay safe and mindful of electric wires that may be hidden by downed trees or flooded streets,” Baine said. “Early reports of damage include broken poles, cross arms and downed wire in many locations, as well as transmission lines impacted due to tree damage.” In a news release, Dominion Energy confirmed “pockets of catastrophic damage” in portions of south-central Virginia, and significant damage in central Virginia. The company said priority would go to restoring power for critical services including hospitals, police and fire departments, and water systems. The most widespread impact in the WTOP listening area were south of D.C., especially in Alexandria, Fairfax County, and Stafford County in Virginia, where a total of around 2,200 customers were in the dark as of noon. A spokesperson for Dominion Energy said most people should have their power back by later this evening. Dominion Energy said a suspected tornado damaged one of its substations in Northern Neck, Virginia. In addition, about 3,500 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative customers were still without power Friday evening, down from 12,000 at the peak of the storm. “Crews continue to encounter roads blocked by flooding water and debris, as well as saturated rights of way, making travel difficult in many areas,” officials said in a statement. Caldwell said there were five tornadoes reported from Thursday into Friday morning, but the state is still awaiting confirmation from National Weather Service assessment teams. Virginia floods kill 5 — Curated tweets by WTOP Northam also urged Virginians to be ready for more tropical storms. “Remember that the Atlantic hurricane season lasts through Nov. 30,” he said, “so we may very well see more big storms in the next six weeks.” WTOP’s Nick Iannelli and Jack Pointer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Five people in Virginia were killed and hundreds of thousands of residents woke up to darkness on Friday, as the state dug out of destruction left behind by Hurricane Michael. Flood waters wreaked havoc throughout central and western Virginia, while high winds knocked out power to wide swaths of the southeast, said Jeff Caldwell, external affairs director for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. More than 500,000 Virginians were without power late Thursday and Friday morning, Gov. Ralph Northam said. Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department in South County area. Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department "We expect to have the vast majority of our customers restored by the end of the day on Monday," Dominion Energy Senior Vice President Ed Baine. Between 4 inches to 8 inches of rain fell on Virginia with winds topping out at 50 mph as Michael moved through the state, authorities said. Those killed include Hanover County fire Lt. Brad Clark, who was killed as his crew was responding to a car crash in heavy storm conditions on Thursday night when a tractor-trailer slammed into Clark’s firetruck, according to the department. Firefighter Lieutenant Brad Clark was killed when a tractor trailer struck his fire engine in Hanover County, Virginia. Hanover County Fire The truck driver, 49-year-old Lester Labarge of California, Maryland, was also injured in the crash. police said. He's been arrested and charged with reckless driving and cited for having defective brakes. “Please join Hanover County Fire-EMS as we mourn the death of Lieutenant Brad Clark and keep his family and fellow firefighters in your thoughts and prayers," Battalion Chief Gregory Martin said in a statement. James E. King Jr., a 45-year-old resident of Dry Fork, was swept away when his car got stuck in a flash flood on Thursday afternoon, state police said. His body was found Thursday night. At least three other people, in addition to King, drowned in flood waters, according to state and local authorities. With the storm having passed, police and firefighters fanned out across Virginia, scouring streams and damaged property, fearing they might find more victims. In Charlotte County, three family members became trapped in a car on a flooded bridge Thursday night, police said. A 17-year-old boy and a man got out of the car but ended up having to cling to the bridge's railings before rescuers arrived in time to fetch the teen to safety, officials said. But a woman, who had been left inside the car, and the man were swept away, officials said. The man's body has been found, while the woman was still missing, police said early Friday evening. "We are still searching for that (one missing) person. We realized at the time that there was someone in the vehicle as it got swept away," Col. Gary T. Settle, superintendent of state police, said at a press conference Friday afternoon. More than 1,200 roads across Virginia closed due to flooding and downed trees, state officials said. Carter Watts, a 26-year-old from Rocky Mount, Virginia, was driving with a work colleague on Route 220 in Roanoke on Thursday when at least 3 feet of flood waters suddenly emerged, in "an incredibly scary experience." "I was white-knuckle the whole time. It was halfway up the van door," he told NBC News. Watts somehow navigated the water to safety. "It was more of a river by that point," he said. "We felt the back of the car lift up and a weightless sensation. We thought, 'Well, we're about to go into the river.' We felt it floating and my partner floored it. That was probably the worst part we had gone through."<doc-sep>At least 11 deaths have been blamed on Michael, the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental U.S. in over 50 years. On Friday, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management reported five hurricane-related fatalities. The agency also reported 1200 roads hoad been closed and five tornadoes. Department of Emergency Management spokesman Jeff Caldwell told The Associated Press that four people drowned: three in the western part of the state and a fourth in central Virginia. He says a firefighter also was killed when a tractor-trailer slammed into his fire truck while he was responding to a two-car crash in heavy storm conditions. The Hanover County Fire-EMS Department identified the firefighter killed as Fire Lt. Brad Clark. They say he died at the scene around 9 p.m. Thursday. The department said that the fire engine had its lights and other emergency equipment activated, but roads were slick and the storm conditions were heavy. The state medical examiner's office has ruled Clark's death among five storm-related fatalities in the state. Elsewhere, the sheriff's office in Gadsden County near Tallahassee says it "can now confirm 4 storm-related fatalities following Hurricane Michael," all of which happened "in relation to or occurred during the storm." County officials say they're not releasing names or other details yet while families are notified. One of those deaths would be a man killed by a falling tree. An 11-year-old girl in Georgia also died when Michael's winds picked up a carport and dropped it through the roof of her grandparents' home. A driver in North Carolina was killed when a tree fell on his car. Some fear the toll can only rise as rescue teams get around storm debris blocking roads and reach isolated areas. Advertisement The Associated Press contributed to this report<doc-sep>
Weather Tropical Storm Michael In VA: Death Toll Rises To 6 Michael made a deadly sweep through parts of Virginia. Five people were swept away by floodwaters and killed. Reply 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.