Firemen Awarded for Huntington Flood Rescue Efforts

Technician Robert E. Pickel, Jr. and Lieutenant Thomas L. Flint, III received the Silver Medal of Valor at Wednesday's 2012 Valor Awards

Technician Robert E. Pickel, Jr. and Lieutenant Thomas L. Flint, III, responded with the rest of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue 411 to the flooding in lower Huntington on Sept. 8, 2011, and rescued two women attempting to evacuate on Arlington Terrace. One woman was eight months pregnant, and the other had a two-week-old newborn with her. Pickel placed the baby in a car seat as the group waded through the moving water. Before they could get out of the water, the water surged; Flint and the two women were swept off their feet.  "As one of the females was being washed past, [Flint] was able to grab her and have her hold on to the sign," a program accompanying the event read. "As the other female came past, Lieutenant Flint used his legs to …

• Photos (8)
• Documents (1)

Same Problem, Same Unfulfilled Promise

Huntington residents, victims of flooding for decades say elected officials haven't done enough

Significant Street Flooding Expected

County expects street flooding in the Huntington, Belle View and New Alexandria area, but no structural flooding

Through a reverse-911 message, Fairfax County officials advised residents of Arlington Terrace and Fenwick Drive to move their cars to higher ground and to bring any valuables up from the basement. The county expects significant street flooding in Huntington, along with localized street flooding in the New Alexandria area, according to Fairfax County spokesperson Merni Fitzgerald.  "We don't think at this point that there is going to be structures flooding," Fitzgerald said, but the county is prepared for the possiblity.  County stormwater officials and the police department is monitoring and patroling the area, Fitzgerald said. The Office of Emergency Management is in contact with the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Virginia …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (2)

Beth Lawton

3:50 pm on Friday, September 23, 2011

The 3:35 p.m. update from the U.S. Geological Survey (see link above) puts it at just 2.83 feet. The discharge has increased substantially in the past few hours.   more ›

Chesapeake Bay From Space

Tropical Storm Lee wreaked havoc earlier this month and an advocacy group compares results to Hurricane Agnes

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a non-profit advocacy group, released a NASA satellite image of the bay last week, detailing the extent of Tropical Storm Lee's effect on the area. "The rainfall from remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, an extreme event, has produced the largest single-event flows of runoff since Hurricane Agnes in 1972," Chuck Epes, Chesapeake Bay Foundation's assistant director of media relations, said in a press release. The runoff will likely cause problems in the bay next spring, such as algae blooms and 'dead' zones, Epes said. Fortunately, the timing this year (September) compared to that of Agnes (June) shouldn't affect underwater grass in the bay. Other good news: the large brown sediments visable in the photograph will …

• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

County Ends On-Site Huntington Flood Assistance

Fairfax County officials left the community center Sunday; Red Cross will continue to serve hot meals through Tuesday

Fairfax County officials will continue to provide assistance for Huntington residents affected by the flooding of Sept. 8, but the county's on-site services at the Huntington Community Center has ended. According to an Office of Emergency Management's blog post, county staff vacated the community center on Sunday at 8 p.m. County services are still available at the following phone numbers Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: The Red Cross will be at the community center to provide hot meals through Tuesday, Sept. 20.

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Helping Hands in Huntington

Fairfax Community Chaplain Corps aids Huntington's flood victims

God's people are on Huntington's side. When flood waters crippled parts of the community last Thursday, the Fairfax Community Chaplain Corpscame to the rescue. For nearly a week, the chaplains have worked in shifts at the Huntington Community Center.  "We've become a liaison between people and the County to determine what the needs for people are," said Andy Casper, the lead pastor at the South County Church. "Sometimes people can be in such a chaotic state and don't really know what they need."   Amy Barnish's home and property were damaged by the flood. "Everybody's been here to help us," she said. The chaplains "kept us abreast of what was going on, what services were offered at the community center. They were very nice and helpful." …

• Photos (1)

Board Of Supervisors Ask Staff To Look Into Public Works Bond Referendum

Led by Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland, the Board voted to have county staff look into the possibility of a bond referendum that could include flood mitigation funds for Huntington

With hopes of garnering funds for a long-term solution to the flooding problems in lower Huntington, Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland asked his colleagues on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday evening to ask county staff to add a public works bond referendum on the November 2012 ballot. In a board matter (see PDFs in the story), Hyland said Huntington residents are "angry, and deservedly so" at the continued flooding and lack of response by their elected officials. Hyland outlined the history of the flooding in the area going back to the 1970s and the Army Corps of Engineers findings from five years ago. He also recounted past failures to secure funding for a levee or flood wall—Sen. Patsy Ticer and Del. David …

• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Huntington Residents Voice Concerns, Criticisms At County Flood Meeting

Victims of Thursday night's flood asked questions about clean up, long-term solutions to problem

Huntington residents criticized Fairfax County for its handling of Thursday's flooding, saying the community had little to no warning of the flood before evacuations, and lambasted the county's lack of a long-term mitigation plan for a community that suffered a similar tragedy in 2006. The oftentimes heated meeting at Walt Whitman Middle School on Saturday morning brought together residents of lower Huntington with public officials. Although the meeting had an agenda, it moved slowly, often being sidetracked by questions from the community both on and off the topic at hand. Remarks from U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova bookmarked the meeting, and Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland …

•  5 Comments
• Photos (5)

2011 Huntington Flood: A Family's Story

Juan Ayala, Pietra Check and their daughter, Sophia, managed to save a couple of their most sentimental belongs

Pietra Check sat helplessly at the Cincinnati airport, reading text message alerts from Fairfax County's CEAN service as flood waters approached her home on Arlington Terrace. First came the flash flood warning, then a warning of minor street flooding, and eventually the evacuation orders for her street. As Check received her messages, her husband, Juan Ayala, and daughter, Sophia, were at home facing the rising water. According to Check, Ayala moved his car up to prepare for street flooding but was taken off guard when the water rose even higher at fast rate. "By the time they gave the evacuation order, you couldn't leave the street," Check said, based upon what her husband told her. "You couldn't use your car." Ayala took the couple …

• Photos (8)