Authorities issue warning after terrifying footage shows moment entire US town is submerged by floods
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Pike/Buchanan County Community News & Emergency Alerts
Flash flooding has devastated parts of four states as powerful storms tore through the US.
Search and rescue efforts are taking place in Virginia, the worst of the states affected, with Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia residents all waking up to the havoc created by the floods.
Parts of Hurley, a small unincorporated community situated in Virginia close to the border of both Kentucky and West Virginia, have been almost completely submerged by floods - with videos surfacing online detailing the destruction.
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At around 11.30pm ET last night (February 15), Buchanan County Sheriff's Office reported that officers were responding to a number of emergency calls on the flooding.
Officials have explained that parts of Vansant, Prater, Grundy, Davenport, Slate Creek, Rocklick, Hurley and Oakwood were unable to be accessed due to high water.
Taking to Facebook, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin urged residents not to 'fight the water' and instead leave their properties if safe to do so.
"Heavy rain is hitting Virginia, with flash floods already reported in SWVA. Stay alert — don’t fight the water, just leave, and call for help. First responders, rescue crews, law enforcement, VDOT, and the VA National Guard are deployed. Your safety is our top priority," he wrote.
Terrifying footage has been uploaded to Twitter from residents showing how ferocious the rushing waters were, with properties almost completely engulfed by the floods.
One video is of a woman taking a video from the safety of her porch as muddy floodwaters flow past her, and while her property has been drenched, it shows how she escaped the worst of it with cars and everything around her being wholly submerged.
The lady then highlights that a local Dollar General stood towards the end of the street - which is only really noticeable now by its roof as a bank also saw waves crash around halfway up the building.
The National Weather Service's (NWS) Blacksburg office, in Virginia, wrote: "At 5:22 p.m. EST, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain across the warned area, which is already experiencing saturated soils and swollen rivers. Between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is up to 1 inch per 1 hour.
"Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is already occurring."
According to WJHL's Storm Team 11 Forecast, it predicts downpours to continue today (February 16), noting that 'slight to moderate risk of flash flooding across the area through Sunday morning' is expected.