‘It’s quite devastating’: Cleanup underway after severe storms leave damage, power outages across Central Virginia
VENN
HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Neighbors across Central Virginia are cleaning up after powerful thunderstorms swept through the region Sunday night, leaving behind a trail of damage and widespread power outages.
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses gradually regained power throughout Monday, after strong winds and intense lightning brought down trees and power lines. While crews cleared much of the debris from major streets, some homeowners are still facing costly cleanups on their own properties.
(Photo: 8News)
In Hanover County, Russell Buchanan is among those still recovering.
“It’s quite devastating," Buchanan said. "I’ve never seen anything like it since [Hurricane] Isabel.
He wasn’t home during the storm but was kept updated by his daughter, who lives next door.
“She kept me informed… episode by episode, loss of power and tree limbs and pictures and so forth,” he recalled. “We were out of power for almost 24 hours.”
One tree fell onto a power line in his front yard while another narrowly missed hitting his house.
(Photo: 8News)
“It was a blessing in disguise," Buchanan said. "If it had to fall, then that’s a good place to fall. It didn’t hit the well and it didn’t hit the koi pond.”
The pond is part of a garden Buchanan built to honor his late wife, Lila, who passed away three years ago after their 54-year marriage.
While he’s thankful the damage wasn’t worse, Buchanan said the cleanup will cost him thousands.
“I’m seeing dollars flying out the window,” he said. “I’d say I’m looking at several thousand dollars’ worth of tree work just to cut it up, chip it up, and get it off the property.”
In an update on social media, Dominion Energy crews restored power to more than 90% of the customers impacted by the storms. They said areas experiencing extensive damage may continue to experience some outages through Tuesday.
The company also reminded customers to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines and to report them immediately by calling 866-DOM-HELP.
