Muddy floodwaters have surged through neighborhoods across four states following a torrential downpour, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Severe storms have triggered flash flooding, wreaking havoc across Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Search and rescue operations are now underway, with Virginia being hit the hardest.
In the small unincorporated community of Hurley, Virginia—near the borders of Kentucky and West Virginia—massive flooding has left parts of the area almost entirely underwater. Shocking videos circulating online capture the scale of the devastation.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. ET last night (February 15), the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that officers were responding to numerous emergency calls related to the flooding.
Officials reported that several areas, including Vansant, Prater, Grundy, Davenport, Slate Creek, Rocklick, Hurley, and Oakwood, were inaccessible due to the rising waters.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin took to Facebook to urge residents not to attempt to fight the floodwaters and instead evacuate if it was 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 shared by residents on Twitter reveals the power of the floodwaters, with entire properties nearly swallowed by the rising tide.
One video captures a woman filming from her porch as muddy water rushes past her home. While her property was soaked, she managed to avoid the worst of it, unlike the surrounding area where cars and buildings were almost entirely submerged.
She then points toward a local Dollar General at the end of the street—now barely recognizable apart from its roof—as floodwaters rise halfway up a nearby bank building.
The National Weather Service’s (NWS) Blacksburg office in Virginia reported: “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, the heavy rain is expected to continue today (February 16), with a “slight to moderate risk of flash flooding across the area through Sunday morning.”
