The Virginia Department of Emergency Management says it’s assessing damage to homes caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene – especially in the southwest part of the state.
In a statement to Radio IQ, the department says the initial steps of that process are just now getting underway.
Of the 635 residences surveyed so far, more than 200 have been reported as having some level of damage. That includes 23 homes that were completely destroyed.
The department says some local shelters are open to impacted individuals, but no state shelters at this time.
The National Weather Service in Blacksburg has also confirmed four tornadoes associated with the remnants of Helene so far.
Those were in Bedford and Pittsylvania Counties – in addition to Rockingham and Watauga Counties in North Carolina.
Officials there say that’s the most tornadoes in its forecast area for any September since 2004.
The Pittsylvania tornado was rated as an EF 2. That’s the strongest tornado recorded there since 1977.
Senator Tim Kaine says Congress should come back into session to approve federal relief funding related to Hurricane Helene.
Kaine spoke with reporters Tuesday morning after touring hard-hit areas in southwest Virginia.
He said the need for rebuilding assistance will be enormous and Congress is currently on recess until after the November election.
"There is an important priority in getting us to come back and do a disaster supplemental," Kaine said. "This is not just one community or one state. This is a regional catastrophe hitting the entire Southeast."
Kaine said he, Senator Mark Warner, Congressman Morgan Griffith and Governor Glenn Youngkin will all be pushing federal authorities to approve an expedited disaster declaration for Virginia.
You can find more information on receiving assistance if you or someone you know needs it — in addition to donation resources — here.
