Comments: Hurricane Fran caused major flooding in Pittsylvania County near Coles Hill, area of proposed Uranium Mine and Mill!
Sept. 5-6, 1996, Hurricane Fran:
Fran made landfall at Cape Fear, N.C
It moved north, entering Virginia near Danville and dropping eight inches of rain over the mountains and the Shenandoah Valley. In just one hour, some areas saw 3.5 inches of rain.
Rainfall for the week totaled 20 inches at Big Meadows in Page County.
Six people died and damages totaled near $350 million. Agricultural damage included a destroyed bunker crop and were estimated in excess of $50 million. All rivers in the central part of the state experienced major flooding.
Record-level flooding occurred on the Dan River at South Boston and on the Shenandoah River, requiring the rescue of 100 people. A record number of people (560,000) in Virginia lost power.
County and State agencies helped get food and water into these areas.
Hundreds of people were stranded and 75 homes reported major damage in Page County.
Rockingham County reported 40 homes destroyed and 105 homes with major damage. In Warren County, 250 homes were flooded with 50 sustaining major damage. Waynesboro saw major damage to its downtown area.
The Old Town section of the City of Alexandria also saw extensive tidal flooding from the Potomac River. Water was five feet deep in the lower portion of the city and many shops were flooded.
http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/stay-informed/hurricanes/hurricane-history
