ARC provides $1.3M to assess Helene damage to SWVA recreation sites DAVID MCGEE
Bristol Herald Courier
APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Appalachian Regional Commission has approved $1.3 million to assess damages to develop plans to repair and restore outdoor recreation sites impacted by Hurricane Helene.
The funding will evaluate sites across 17 counties and four independent cities, including the Creeper Trail, the Clinch and New River boat ramps plus other trails, campgrounds, parks, bridges and trestles, according to a statement from federal lawmakers.
"Virginia's parks, trails, and public spaces make our Commonwealth beautiful and contribute immeasurably to local economies," according to joint statement from U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. "We're glad that this federal funding is going towards assessing the terrible damage infl icted by Hurricane Helene.
"We're also pushing as hard as we can for a full disaster aid bill to fund additional projects to restore our parks and public spaces and meet the many additional needs of impacted communities across Southwest Virginia," they said in the statement.
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Many outdoor recreation sites were severely damaged during the fl ooding from Hurricane Helene, which has suppressed tourism and other economic development projects for local economies across Southwest Virginia.
This study will assess storm-related damages in Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe counties, as well as the independent cities of Bristol, Galax, Norton and Radford.
The ARC grant will go to Friends of Southwest Virginia to oversee the review, according to U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-9th.
"This ARC grant for $1,300,000 helps Friends of Southwest Virginia hire an engineering firm to conduct a thorough assessment of Helene-related damages to outdoor recreation assets in Southwest Virginia," Griffith said in a separate statement.
High winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Helene battered Southwest and Southside Virginia, destroying homes and businesses and causing thousands of people to lose power. Rainfall exceeded 12 inches in some areas and with the water from North Carolina flowing north, it created an historic flood crest on the New River, from Grayson to Giles at the West Virginia border.
Among the hardest hit areas in far Southwest Virginia was Damascus in Washington County and the area between Damascus and the North Carolina border where both the Creeper Trail and the Appalachian Trail are located.
The 17-mile segment of the Creeper Trail between Damascus and Whitetop remains closed as portions of the trail were washed away and the majority of trestles were destroyed or damaged. That segment is on land managed by the Forest Service.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is presently working to restore a 1.5-mile stretch of U.S. Route 58 that sustained significant damage.
Sen. Warner recently celebrated passage of legislation he cosponsored to get a tax break for Southwest Virginians impacted by Hurricane Helene. Sen. Warner also led a bipartisan and bicameral group of colleagues in sending a letter, which Sen. Kaine signed, calling on congressional leadership to ensure that any supplemental appropriations bill responding to recent natural disasters include substantial funding for the agencies that manage public lands, including the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the National Park Service (NPS).
All three federal lawmakers have visited the region to receive updates on the damages and efforts to restore homes, businesses and infrastructure.
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