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The citizens of the Town of Alderson are
grateful that the Greenbrier River did not rise any higher than the official
NOAA level of 18.72 feet. That put the flooding level at the top of the
moderate range and thankfully less than the 20 feet that was predicted.
Mayor Lewallen said, “We were very
fortunate that the level was not higher and that the flooding did not do the
damage of previous record floods. We very much appreciate all the agencies
who helped including the Alderson Volunteer Fire Department who took the
lead to coordinate efforts and was assisted by the Alderson Police
Department, the State Police, Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department, the
Alderson Ministerial Association, the National Guard, the Red Cross, and
local citizens who just volunteered to help. We also appreciated the
cooperation of the Federal Prison Camp which restricted water usage until we
were certain that our Water Plant would be functioning normally.”
In a survey of the situation
this morning, it was determined that the Water Plant is functioning normally
and has no reason to issue any advisories. The Sewer Plant, likewise, is
functioning normally. There is some debris in some streets and there are
two pockets of water in low places where the storm drains are still backed
up.
Mayor Lewallen said, “We are
aware that a few families will suffer some damage, especially from the
backed up water.”
The Alderson Community Center for the Arts
and Humanities (ACCAH) was opened as an Emergency Shelter and served 9
citizens and 5 National Guard the evening of the 25th. The
Alderson Ministerial Association worked with the Red Cross and volunteers
from the Board of Directors of the ACCAH and from the community to provide
the assistance.
Below, these were taken about 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday
morning--about 6-7 hours after the crest. You can see the high water mark on
the old bridge. The street with all the debris is just below the elementary
school. Water backed up into there from the drains at Hoppy Hopkins' house. |
