The city of Roanoke is collecting residents' memories of the Flood of '85 for an ongoing project to commemorate the event, which is coming up on its 40th anniversary in early November. The historic flood swamped Roanoke, damaging thousands of homes in the city and killing 22 people statewide.
The "Roanoke Remembers" project is intended to collect stories and photos from residents who experienced the flood. Gwyneth Martin, an environmental specialist with Roanoke's stormwater utility, says the city's already received more than 60 stories.
"It really ranges between people who were really active and people who were just living their lives and came across this issue that either prevented them from going home or going to work or getting to their child or what have you," Martin says.
City officials are still taking stories and photos. They want to wrap up the collection process by early September, then share them with a website and series of events this fall.
To share your story, visit the "Roanoke Remembers" page on the Roanoke city website.
