This week, mass flooding in a rural Virginia county has left dozens of people unaccounted for after homes were torn from their foundations and roads and bridges were left damaged.
On Thursday morning, there were reports of 44 missing people made to the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office. However, the death toll remains at zero, but the search for those missing continues.
The flooding was caused by a torrential downpour that saw six inches of rainfall across the county in just hours on Tuesday, CNN reported.
Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller and other officials have stressed that just because people are unaccounted for, it does not mean they are missing. In addition, Geller shared with CNN that phone lines being down in the area adds a problematic layer when trying to contact those affected and know their whereabouts.
The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office shared in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the 44 reflects those who haven't been contacted, and law enforcement is trying "to reach and locate" them in order to "check on their wellbeing."
Some residents shared with WCYB that water was up to their knees outside their homes and that flooding quickly began after warnings were given early in the night on Tuesday.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency after more than 100 homes were damaged in southwestern Virginia, Billy Chrimes, a search and rescue specialist with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, told CNN.
"It's gonna take time for the access to be restored so we can get in," Chrimes said. He also shared that landslides have blocked roads, making travel in and out of the area difficult.
"In the wake of the devastation, I want Virginians in Buchanan County to know that we are making every resource available to help those impacted by this storm," Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. "While rescue and recovery continues, please join me in prayer as we lift up our fellow Virginians impacted by this tragedy.”
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