Actually, #7 and 8, it was a sink hole that opened up after tropical storm Gaston poured a lot of rain on us. Railroad tunnel, unless I’m mistaken, is a bit to the west of this (someone correct me if I’m wrong, please). The feds fixed it with FEMA money but it took several years before it was totally complete.
Getting home to the hill that night took me four hours instead of my usual fifteen minute commute because Shockoe Bottom was flooded and the roads were closed, causing a major traffic jam downtown.
Nobody who was in the fire department on the B shift will ever forget it, either. The crew was dispatched to the corner of 31st and Grace, and his radio report was “There is no East Grace Street.” We were standing on the edge looking down into that chasm at where the cars on the corner ended up.
Earlier, we were at 18th and E. Main, trying to keep people from getting onto Main. I said, “I have no idea what to tell you about getting home,” a million times. Once it receded, we were watching all these citizens run barefoot through the poo sludge on Main. Yuck.
Jennifer, someone told me last night that Gaston was on the list this year. Apparently, because the Tropical Storm Gaston, pictured above, didn’t become a hurricane, they can use the name again?
Right now, there’s Hurricane Earl, followed by Tropical Storm Fiona. Then there’s a third area on the national hurricane center’s website. It isn’t named yet, but has an 80 percent chance of forming into a storm of some type. So I guess if it forms, it will be another Gaston. I don’t blame you for getting twitchy!
I think I’ll be posting my pictures later today from the day after on Facebook.
I’ll keep an eye out for ‘em!
Frightening!!
Wow, I didn’t live here then so I didn’t know that happened…I walk across that all the time!
I run down that road every day. I never knew this happened.
I will never forget that “day-after”. I was amazed at the destruction and how the physical landscape of our neighborhood was altered forever.
What was the explanation for this?
collapse of railroad tunnel, i thought, though it was before my time here as well.
Actually, #7 and 8, it was a sink hole that opened up after tropical storm Gaston poured a lot of rain on us. Railroad tunnel, unless I’m mistaken, is a bit to the west of this (someone correct me if I’m wrong, please). The feds fixed it with FEMA money but it took several years before it was totally complete.
Getting home to the hill that night took me four hours instead of my usual fifteen minute commute because Shockoe Bottom was flooded and the roads were closed, causing a major traffic jam downtown.
That was a crazy night!
Nobody who was in the fire department on the B shift will ever forget it, either. The crew was dispatched to the corner of 31st and Grace, and his radio report was “There is no East Grace Street.” We were standing on the edge looking down into that chasm at where the cars on the corner ended up.
Earlier, we were at 18th and E. Main, trying to keep people from getting onto Main. I said, “I have no idea what to tell you about getting home,” a million times. Once it receded, we were watching all these citizens run barefoot through the poo sludge on Main. Yuck.
We had wet socks for twelve hours.
By the way, Gaston is on this year’s list of storm names, so if I get twitchy a couple of hurricanes out, you’ll know why.
And we still don’t have the washout on Libby Hill Park repaired from Gaston. Any day now. For sure!
Jennifer, someone told me last night that Gaston was on the list this year. Apparently, because the Tropical Storm Gaston, pictured above, didn’t become a hurricane, they can use the name again?
Right now, there’s Hurricane Earl, followed by Tropical Storm Fiona. Then there’s a third area on the national hurricane center’s website. It isn’t named yet, but has an 80 percent chance of forming into a storm of some type. So I guess if it forms, it will be another Gaston. I don’t blame you for getting twitchy!