Dozens Still Missing as Extreme Flooding Drowns Virginia

Authorities confirm that all 44 missing people were found alive in the Virginia floods Officials in southern Virginia were relieved to learn that there were no fatalities due to severe flooding that happened Tuesday and Wednesday.

Confirming the Numbers

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office confirmed Thursday morning that it has made contact with all 44 persons reported missing on Wednesday, as cleaning work continues and floodwaters recede in flood-ravaged southwestern Virginia.

The sheriff's office commended the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), and several other local and state services for locating the missing persons.

At approximately 6:30 a.m. Authorities searched for 17 missing people on Thursday, including unreachable locations due to floods on Wednesday. By 10 a.m., the number had been reduced to three. Officials said they had contacted the last three people during a press conference at midday.

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Already Receding

According to officials, Floodwaters are receding, and the county is collaborating with the Virginia Department of Transportation to clear debris and muck from highways to reopen them and assess damage to properties.

"There have been no reports of fatalities or injuries due to the continuous floods," said the sheriff's office.

Flooding rain slammed Virginia and parts of neighboring Tennessee hard Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Four hundred people were forced to evacuate from a campsite near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, due to water.

Officials expected the number of missing persons to decrease if rescue crews could get out and cover more land.

According to Buchanan County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Eric Breeding, the number of unaccounted-for folks is based on a family attempting to reach an area residence where phone connection may be limited or entirely cut off.

"It doesn't always indicate they're in difficulty or danger," Breeding explained. "They're simply informing us that we need to check on these guys."

On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management was aiding local personnel after heavy rains Tuesday night caused flooding and power outages in the Buchanan County region. On the state's western border, the county had radar estimations indicating more than 6 inches of rain fell in the region during the middle of Tuesday night.

While no particular number of properties were reported damaged, VDEM indicated that a "substantial" number of residences were injured due to the floods, perhaps numbering in the hundreds.

State of Emergency

As a result of the heavy rain and catastrophic floods, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin proclaimed a state of emergency in Buchanan County to aid with a response and recovery operations.

The nearest U.S. The nearest Geological Survey river gauge to Pilgrim's Knob is 17 miles distant on the Tug Fork River in Litwar, West Virginia. During the floods, the same equipment reported a 2-foot jump in water levels in an hour.

"I'd want to thank our first responders and employees on the ground for assisting us with our continuing activities in Buchanan County," Youngkin stated in a press statement. "As rescue and recovery efforts continue, please join me in prayer as we raise our fellow Virginians who have been affected by this tragedy."

Late Tuesday, flash floods wreaked havoc on Virginia's southern neighbor. At around 11 p.m. EDT, the Gatlinburg Fire Department in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, received a call that 14 people were stranded at the nearby Greenbrier Campground, with first responders at the scene telling WVLT News that water had reached the height of the campground's picnic tables. The rapid flooding at the campground resulted in the rescue of the trapped people and the evacuation of over 400 people.

Immediate Update

As of Wednesday, there had been no reports of injuries or trapped people, according to local officials. Affected neighbors who needed refuge until Wednesday morning were given a temporary evacuation safe zone at adjacent Pittman Center Elementary School, where the American Red Cross assisted those in need. For the night, 69 people sought refuge at the school.

The Greenbrier Campground is about 5 miles northeast of Gatlinburg and 30 miles southeast of Knoxville. The campground is also around 10 miles from Dollywood, a theme park owned in part by famed performer Dolly Parton. Previously tranquil streams were observed surging past houses in Gatlinburg on Tuesday night.

Because there were few river gauges in the vicinity, the closest reading of flooding levels was recorded 12 miles downstream of the campsite in Sevierville, Tennessee. According to the USGS river gauge, the river climbed more than 4 feet in 30 minutes and 6 feet in 2 hours.

On top of adjacent Mount Leconte, observers reported 3 inches of rain on Tuesday. At the same time, radar estimations suggest that double that much may have fallen in a nearby section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park drains into the valley where the Greenbrier Campground is located on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River.

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