July 8 storm caused at least $14 million in damages in Fairfax County

A box truck was stranded by flooding on Arlington Boulevard near Prosperity Avenue on July 8. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

The July 8 rainstorm and flash flooding caused at least $14 million in damages to homes, businesses, and roads in Fairfax County, Emergency Management Coordinator Seamus Mooney told the Board of Supervisors July 30.

That includes $2 million for Fairfax County, $6 million for the Virginia Department of Transportation and nearly $7 million for individuals and businesses.

The BoS voted to declare a local emergency on July 16, which would clear the way for the county to seek state and federal assistance to help cover the cost of cleanup efforts.

About 5 inches of rain fell in less than two hours in some areas of the county.

As rising water levels trapped people in their vehicles, first responders from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department carried out 56 swift water rescues between 8:20 and 11:45 a.m. on July 8. People trapped in mobile homes in Hybla Valley also had to be evacuated.

Flooding forced the closure of several roadways for one or two days, while other road repairs took much longer to complete. Repairs on Prosperity Avenue, for example, weren’t completed until July 25.

VDOT reported $6 million in road damage due to the storm, including $4 million just for Kirby Road in McLean.

As of July 29, Mooney said, homeowners had filed 277 reports on damages totaling $6.8 million. The county is still encouraging residents to submit damage reports to the Office of Emergency Management’s Disaster Damage Database to help the county assess the impact of the July 8 rainstorm and subsequent flooding.

Fairfax County did not experience any casualties in the storm, but Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross expressed frustration at how long it’s taking to get federal disaster assistance.

“People need help now, and I’m very concerned about some of the folks in my district whose houses were damaged so badly that they had to move out,” Gross said.

Fairfax County must record a minimum of $4 million in damages to be eligible for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Mooney said, but can’t include the road repair costs in that estimate because the roads are funded by state highway funds.

Fairfax County has also joined other nearby jurisdictions to apply for an official disaster declaration from the federal Small Business Administration. That would allow residents and businesses to access low-interest loans for repairing damaged property.

Mooney expects the SBA to designate Fairfax County eligible for assistance by Aug. 12. The county has already reserved space in the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library to serve as a disaster outreach center where property owners could apply for an SBA loan for property damage not fully covered by insurance.

Fairfax County also waived permit fees for repairs related to the July 8 storm.

The BoS passed a proclamation designating September as Emergency Preparedness Month.

According to Mooney, September has historically been Virginia’s worst month for hurricanes. His advice to prepare for a disaster: make a plan, have an emergency kit, and stay informed.