ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. — Some families in Isle of Wight County are back home or staying in hotels Wednesday night, following a day of heavy rains that brought major flooding to the area.
Part of Bowling Green Road is washed away. The water is draining into a nearby swamp.
“This swamp level really doesn’t stay up high. This is the highest it’s ever been,” said resident Ray Betterton.
Betterton’s home sits next to the swamp. Since Wednesday morning, his driveway is impassable.
“I did manage to get through the lot next door to get my wife to work,” he said. “You can’t see the road now, but that’s a field across the street. It’s all covered as well.”
Some of the roads that lead to Betterton’s home are passable, while others are closed for high water or are being repaired by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department crews assessed the roads Wednesday night, to see if they were safe for drivers.
“Most of the major roads in Isle of Wight are starting to open up; [Route] 258 just reopened,” said Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department Captain Will Drewery.
Captain Drewery explained crews checked on river and creek levels throughout the night and increased their staff.
“Our normal staffing ranges from anywhere from about seven to eight people in the overnight hours and when we increase staffing for events like this, we surge up to 15-20,” said Drewery.
Betterton is trying to stay optimistic, but he’s worried about the potential for me rain.
“It’s going down but If we get another heavy rain tonight it could get a lot worse, yes,” he said.
Smithfield Volunteer firefighters rescued 10 people out of the water on Wednesday morning.