State of emergency declared in Petersburg due to severe flooding

PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) -- A state of emergency has been declared in the City of Petersburg on Tuesday after rainfall caused severe flooding in parts of the city.

During a press conference held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15, Petersburg mayor Sam Parham declared that the city is under a state of emergency following severe flooding in parts of the city that was caused by rainfall and ahead of more rain forecasted in the area.

"We are a very old city and we've always had challenges with drainage and flooding issues, but nothing like we've seen over the last week or so, with more rain to come," Parham said during the conference.

Parham said part of the challenge in the city is that it has an older water infrastructure system, in which the water has a difficult time funneling through its older areas throughout the city.

Parham said water in the Ole Towne and downtown area of the city is supposed to drain down into the Appomattox River.

According to Parham, the city has been asking the Army Corp of Engineers to properly dredge and open up the harbor channel that leads to the Appomattox River for decades.

"What we are seeing now are definitely the horrific effects of the many decades of neglect of Petersburg not being able to get the necessary funding to dredge the Appomattox River to prevent a lot of this flooding that you've seen pictures of down on Bank and Bollingbrook Street," Parham said.

Parham said the city is looking to bring in both public and private partners to work with the Corp to get funding for the dredging to be done.

Parham said he has spoken with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has reportedly sent a secretary and additional resources to help the city deal with these issues.

Petersburg Fire Chief Wayne Hoover said around 10 p.m. on Monday, July 14, the department evacuated about 50 people from several apartment buildings.

"I'm happy to say we have no reported injuries," Hoover said. "Everyone [evacuated] from the apartment buildings was able to go back several hours later."

Hoover said the department also activated a regional swift water rescue team to assist.

RELATED: ‘Several water rescues’ underway as Petersburg hit with flash floods

Anyone in the city who has damage to their house from the storm can report it by emailing em@petersburg-va.org to help officials compile information for a preliminary damage assessment -- which will include commercial, residential and public infrastructure.

City Manager March Altman said County Drive near Pinetree Apartments and Wagner Road, as well as Joseph Jenkin are still closed.

"Some roads may be closed temporarily, but they're not water-covered. We're opening them back up as we remove the vehicles and get the mud off the streets for everybody," Altman said.