Recovery efforts from the millions of dollars worth of damage wrought in late September by flooding and high winds from Hurricane Helene will be discussed Tuesday during the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors’ monthly meeting.
The board will consider whether to extend the state of emergency for another month, until March 4, according to the agenda.
The hurricane slammed into the Florida Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm and then moved inland, eventually dumping 4-10 inches of rain on some parts of Southwest Virginia.
County Administrator Eric Young said in December that there was nearly $4 million in residential property damage due to flooding and another $1.5 million in wind damage, though he expected those numbers to increase.
Farmers were also hit hard, with agricultural damages estimated at more than $11 million, he added.
The eastern side of the county in the Bluefield area, particularly the community of Burke’s Garden, sustained the most damage.
The total number of claims filed by Tazewell County residents with the Federal Emergency Management Agency was 1,677 as of Dec. 1, Young said. The county’s population is nearly 40,000.
Tuesday’s meeting starts at 4 p.m. at the County Administration Building, 197 Main St. in Tazewell. You can view the agenda here.
