From the archives: Major Lynchburg-area storms through the years
The Lynchburg area has seen its share of major storms and floods over the years. In this gallery of photos from The News & Advance's archives, we present selections from the deadly August storm of 1958, which claimed two lives; Hurricane Camille, which dumped an estimated 25 to 30 inches of rain over five hours in August 1969; Hurricane Agnes of 1972; Hurricane David in 1979; the Election Day flood of 1985; the windstorm of 1993; Hurricane Fran in 1996; the derecho of 2012; the tornadoes of 2016 and 2018; and the recent flooding from which local residents still are recovering.
1958-08-16 Storm of 58
Aug. 16, 1958 - Automobile Smashed - This foreign-make automobile was crushed as a retaining wall at the rear of a television service establishment at Park Avenue and Buchanan toppled as a result of last evening's cloudburst. Charles Hough Jr., owner of the vehicle, estimated the damage at $1,700.
1958-08-16 Storm of 58
Aug. 16, 1958 - Rescue - Life Crew Member Kimball Glass rescues child in 900 block of Madison Street during Friday night's flood.
1958-08-16 Storm of 58
Aug 16, 1958 Forces of the Public Service Department were having a busy day today as an aftermath of last night's cloudburst. Shown here is dirt being dumped below the surface of Hollins Mill Road to prevent the thoroughfare from caving in.
1958-08-17 Lightning Did It
Aug. 17, 1958 - Lightning Did It - Bolt struck this tree, loaded with pears, and toppled it against rear of home of C.L. Miles, 1113 Monroe St. Mrs. Miles looks at wreckage.
1958-08-18 Firemen still busy
Aug 18, 1958 - Firemen still busy - Lynchburg firemen are being kept busy pumping out basements flooded during Friday night's storm. Shown here working the hose is C.N. McBride, a fireman for 22 years. As late as Saturday night calls to pump out basements were dribbling in to Central Fire Headquarters. With some 30 pumped-out basements behind them, firemen still have about 25 more to do.
1969-08 Camille - Bridge
A young boy stands at the bridge across the Tye River along Va. 151 in Roseland near the 151 and 56 intersection that was washed away by the flood waters after Hurricane Camille in August 1969.
1969-08 Camille - House
Part of a house that was destroyed by the flood waters of Hurricane Camille still stands near Davis Creek in Nelson County.
1969-08 Camille - Front Street
The view of Front Street in Lovingston after Hurricane Camille in August 1969.
1969-08 Camille - Massie's Mill house
This house in Massie's Mill was moved from its foundation by the flood waters after Hurricane Camille and landed on two cars.
1969-08 Camille - U.S. 29 at Eades Hollow
The damage to U.S. 29 just north of Lovingston at Eades Hollow after Hurricane Camille.
1972 Hurricane Agnes - Glamorgan
Employees at Glamorgan Pipe dig the mud off the property after Hurricane Agnes caused flooding along the James River in 1972.
1972-06-21 Hurricane Agnes - Piney River
June 21, 1972 - Rampaging Piney River Isolates Woodson Community - This stretch of Virginia 666, looking from Virginia 778 north, was underwater today after the Piney River overflowed its banks Tuesday night. Swollen by rains from Hurricane Agnes, the river has flooded about three and a half miles of the secondary road that connects the Woodson Community to Virginia 778. An Amherst County sheriff's deputy said today that about 20 of the 22 families comprising the community were evacuated during the night and housed in the Temperance Elementary School. There was no way of reaching Woodson this morning. Mrs. Ora Campbell, one of the evacuees, said she lived 75 feet from the east bank of the Piney River and when it began flooding shortly after dark Tuesday, she and her son, Mack Campbell, left their home and sought shelter in the school. They were still there mid-morning.
1972-06-22 Hurricane Agnes - Concord Turnpike
June 22, 1972 - Agnes leaves her mark on city - Floodwaters on Concord Road in the Lower Basin caused many firms, including Lynchburg Foundry, to suspend business until the water subsides and cleanup operations can begin. Although the James is holding steady at 25 feet - seven feet above normal - officials fear it may rise to 30 feet before cresting.
1972-06-22 Hurricane Agnes - Jefferson Street
June 22, 1972 - Not Venice, but Jefferson Street - Flooding from the rain-swollen James River today made Jefferson Street look more like a canal in Venice. The river covered the street after rising seven feet above flood stage from the rains brought into the area by Hurricane Agnes. Although the James was holding steady at 25 feet at noon, the Weather Service said it may rise to 30 feet before cresting. Because of the submerged conditions along Jefferson Street and throughout the Upper and Lower basins, many firms suspended business until waters subside and cleanup operations can begin.
1972-06-22 Hurricane Agnes - Landslide.jpg
June 22, 1972 - Rains cause landslide - Hurricane Agnes, showing no favoritism, did not limit her destruction to areas of the city located directly on the James River. Shown here is a landslide at parking lot located directly on the James River. Shown here is a landslide at parking lot at the rear of the 800 block of Church Street - one of many city areas affected by slides and washouts due to heavy rains.
1972-06-23 Hurricane Agnes - Glamorgan
June 23, 1972 - Foundry Closed - Waters that flooded Glamorgan Foundry Co. had barely subsided Thursday, forcing company officials to keep the plant closed. View taken from Amherst County side of James River shows Southern Railway Co. Yard, which was not seriously affected. Lynchburg Foundry, also located in the lower basin, remained closed Thursday as cleanup operations began.
1972-06-23 Hurricane Agnes - Glamorgan cleanup
June 23, 1972 - Glamorgan Pipe & Foundry Co. workers waded into the task of cleaning the mud and debris that clogged the river basin site as flood waters of the James River continued to subside. Industry leaders say damage in the basin won't be as great as that in the Aug. 20, 1969 passing of Hurricane Camille.
1972-06-25 Hurricane Agnes - Marina
June 25, 1972 - Where does the dock begin? - Boaters were confused as to where dock began when they attempted to moor alongside this marina on Smith Mountain Lake at mouth of GIllis Creek. Marina Manager Wayne Blount said, although water came 27 inches above fixed dock at high water mark, no damage was done as Appalachain Power Co. had warned all marinas on lake that water would be rising. Blount noted that water was still 10 inches above normal late Saturday night. When lake level is at 795 feet marina's floating doeck is 1.5 feet below fixed dock.
1972-07-08 Hurricane Agnes - Toll still mounting
July 8, 1972 - Agnes toll still mounting - This private bridge across Burton Creek to the home of Mrs. Vivian Rowse Hubbard at 6915 Fort Avenue is among much private property damage in the area caused by the recent passing of tropical storm Agnes. While public roads and property losses readily are known, private losses are not easily determined. (Editors in this July 1972 photo, refer to Agnes as a tropical storm, but they appear to be referring to it generically. We can find no evidence it was downgraded afer the fact.)
1979-09-06 David
Sept. 5, 1979 - Tye River spills over banks onto Virginia 56, right as rain falls.
1979-09-06 David
Sept. 5, 1979 - Officer T.B. Wright checks the water levels at Hollins Mill Dam.
1979-09-06 David
Sept. 5, 1979 - A woman walks downtown in storm's downpour.
1979-09-06 David
Sept. 6, 1979 - The Tye River rages along the side of Virginia 151 in Nelson County.
1979-09-06 David
Sept. 6, 1979 - Watching the Tye River near Tyro in Nelson County Wednesday is Trooper J.H. Adcock. Tye River was one of many normally placid streams in Central Virginia which rose to alarming heights as remnants of Hurricane David passed through area.
1979-09-06 David
Sept. 5, 1979 - A view of the Tye River near Tyro in Nelson County.
1985-11-04 Flood of 1985
Ten people were rescued from Treasure Island in the James River as waters began to rise the night of Nov. 4, 1985.
1985-11-04 Flood of 1985
Ten were rescued from Treasure Island in the James River as waters began to rise the night of Nov. 4, 1985.
1985-11-05 Flood of 1985
The Owens Illinois plant at Big Island on the afternoon of Nov. 5, 1985 as the churning James River, well above flood stage, raced through the Hill City in the aftermath of heavy rains brought by remnants of Tropical Storm Juan.
1985-11-05 Flood of 1985
The Lower Basin in downtown Lynchburg on the afternoon of Nov. 5, 1985.
1985-11-05 Flood of 1985
The Appalachian Power Co. hydroelectric plant at Reusens Dam was swamped by the James River on Nov. 5, 1985.
1985-11-05 Flood of 1985
Surging James River floodwaters engulfed nearly all of Williams Viaduct and surrounding industries by early afternoon Nov. 5, 1985.
1985-11-05 Flood of 1985
Treasure Island, in the James River west of downtown Lynchburg, was inundated by the river by the afternoon of Nov. 5, 1985. Several of theses buildings were washed off their foundations and pushed into the Williams Viaduct in downtown Lynchburg. It was feared the impacts might topple the old bridge, but it survived the flood to eventually be replaced by the John Lynch bridge.
1985-11-05 Flood of 1985
The interior of the J.W. Wood, Co. warehouse on Nov. 5, 1985. The building now is used by Amazement Square.
Windstorm of 1993
A man and his two sons survey the wreckage of what used to be their home before it was destroyed during the June 4, 1993 windstorm.
Windstorm of 1993
Tree limbs punch through the roof of a home in Windsor Hills during the June 4, 1993 windstorm.
Windstorm of 1993
This Campbell Avenue house was among those damaged in the June 4, 1993 windstorm, the tree in front one of thousands brought down in the storm.
Windstorm of 1993
While most homeowners dealt with uprooted and splintered trees, the Central Virginia Training Center had a larger problem after the June 4, 1993 windstorm. Its landmark, the half-century-old cupola atop the Bradford Building, was toppled by the storm, which left the 40-foot-high structure dangling across the building’s colonnade. Workers later lowered it to the ground.
1996-09-06 Fran
Sept. 6, 1996 - In some places in Lynchburg, first-responders went door-to-door in boats to escort people to safety after Hurricane Fran.
1996-09-06 Fran
Sept 6, 1996 - Rescuers had to fight waters to take Greenwood Apartment residents to safety during the height of Hurricane Fran's onslaught.
1996-09-06 Fran
Sept. 6, 1996 - Debris piles up along the Blackwater Creek bridge on Old Forest Road.
1996-09-07 Fran
Sep. 7, 1996 - A Virginia Department of Transportation crew uses a backhoe to clear debris from a bridge on Woods Mill Lane in Nelson County. The debris caught in the fast running Davis Creek piled against the bridge and caused it to flood the road.
1996-09-07 Fran
Sept. 7, 1996 -A Lynchburg City Police Officer helps evacuate a resident of Greenwood Apartments Friday. Hurricane Fran dumped more than 10 inches of rain on Central Virginia.
1996-09-08 Fran
Sept. 8, 1996 - High winds toppled an oak at 4901 Old Boonsboro Rd., crushing two cars and breaking a gas line.
1996-09-08 Fran
Sept. 8, 1996 - Spectators gawk at the rising Staunton River from the Howard P. Anderson Bridge on U.S. 501 in Brookneal.
1996-09-09 Fran
Sept. 9, 1996 - A washout on Mt. Athos Road at Joshua Creek has left 100 residents with a detour.
1996-09-17 Fran
Sep. 17, 1996 - Debris piles up below Hollins Mill Road Bridge in Blackwater Creek.
1996-09-17 Fran
Sept. 17, 1996 - A car crosses Hollins Mill Road Bridge over Blackwater Creek as debris from Fran awaits clearing.
2012-06-30 Derecho 2012
A downed tree and power lines block Rivermont Avenue at Oak Lane, near Virginia Baptist Hospital, June 30, 2012.
2012-06-30 Derecho 2012
Frances Lukens looks at the tangle of boards and tree limbs sticking through her living room ceiling, the result of a huge oak tree falling directly on the house during a storm the previous night on Link Road in Lynchburg, June 30, 2012. That storm, a highly destructive derecho, swept across the Midwest and into the mid-Atlantic states, causing widespread damage and millions of power outages. Locally, the violent 75-mph winds caused the largest power outage in Appalachian Power's history. More than 70,000 customers in the Lynchburg area lost electricity, including 27,000 in Lynchburg alone.
2012-06-30 Derecho 2012
In the process of cutting up and removing an oak tree blocking Inglewood Road in Lynchburg, a crane lifts the crushed Honda Element that Amy Scott and her son, Cooper, were inside of June 29, 2012 as the tree fell on top of them. Both were treated for minor injuries.
2012-07-06 Derecho 2012
Michelle Fultz and her daughter Jamie Lindsay, 15, deliver slices of watermelon July 6, 2012 to the utility crews to keep them fresh as they work in her neighborhood to remove trees draped over power lines on Chesterfield Place.
2016-02-24 Appomattox Tornado
Nick Mobley helps clean up a house owned by Jack Baker at 13720 Richmond Highway on February 24, 2016 after a tornado in Appomattox County, Va.
2016-02-26 Appomattox tornado
Family and friends help recover belongings from the home of Pat and Donald Hamilton in February 2016 after the tornado hit the neighborhood of Evergreen.
2016-02-26 Appomattox tornado
Sharanda Totty, 27, stands on what used to be her front porch to her home in the Evergreen neighborhood in February 2016. Totty and her 1-year-old daughter survived the tornado by hiding underneath a mattress in the basement as the storm destroyed their home around them. Photo by Jill Nance
2016-02-26 Appomattox tornado
The tornado-damaged Central Baptist Church on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, in Appomattox, Va.
2016-02-26 Appomattox tornado
Tamika Payne, a volunteer from Lynchburg, gathers Bibles on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 after a tornado in Appomattox, Va.
2018-04-16 Tornado
Mia Polaski and her husband Ryan Polaski kiss during a brief moment of respite on Monday, April 16, 2018 while clearing debris from her father Randy's Elon home that was struck by a tornado the day before.
2018-04-16 Tornado
Rebecca Farley hands an item to Roger Johnson as they search for recoverable items at Johnson's home on Monday, April 16, 2018 in Elon, Va.
2018-04-16 Tornado
Hadley Mayhew, 5, hands Virginia State Police Trooper A. J. Garasimonowicz a water bottle as he works Timberlake Road on April 16, 2018, the day after a tornado devastated more than a dozen businesses there. She joined her sister Jillian Mayhew, 8, and mother Sarah Mayhew in rolling a wagon full of water and snacks to responders and clean-up crews that day, courtesy of Timberlake Family Pharmacy.
2018-04-17 Tornado
An aerial view of storm damage from April 15, 2018, pictured on April 17 in Elon.
2018-04-17 Tornado
An aerial view of April 15, 2018 storm damage along Timberlake Road, pictured on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 in Lynchburg, Va.
2018-04-19 Tornado
A flag attached to a tornado-ravaged tree in Randy Johnson's yard flaps in the breeze on Thursday, April 19, 2018 in Elon, Va.
2018-08-02 Flood
A landslide on Old Forest Road on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018.
2018-08-02 Flood
Cars are partially submerged in the parking lot of 37 West Apartments on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018.
2018-08-02 Flood
Cars are stranded on Oakley Avenue in Lynchburg on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018.
2018-08-02 Flood
Sandusky Square apartments flooded in Lynchburg on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018.
2018-08-08 Flood
Ken Patel, owner of Kwik Stop on Old Forest Road, where several residents and business owners experienced damage from the Aug. 2, 2018 flood, sprays down the parking lot in front of the store as vehicles take the detour around the College Lake Dam.
2018-08-09 Flood
A Crofton Industries diver enters the College Lake Dam outfall to inspect an 80-year-old pipe after heavy rains damaged the dam in Lynchburg, Va on Wednesday, August 8, 2018.
2018-08 Flood
College Lake dam was damaged during flooding that began Aug. 2, 2018.
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