Tazewell County deputy recognized for saving man from drowning
Aug. 3—BANDY, Va. — A Tazewell County deputy was recognized Tuesday for saving a resident from drowning during late-July flooding which damaged homes and left people stranded.
Flash flooding which impacted Buchahan County, Va. also struck the community of Bandy, Va. in Tazewell County the evening of July 23, said Maggie Asbury, Northern District Supervisor.
A deputy with the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office was among the first responders aiding Bandy's residents that evening, and the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors recognized his actions Tuesday.
Deputy Luke Deel, who is part of the Bandy community, was present when a resident found himself in danger.
"During the middle of the flood, a gentleman was trying to move his cars, but the water rose so quickly, it was sweeping him away," Sheriff Brian Hieatt said. "And then, Deputy Deel came upon him and jumped in water about waist deep and was able to pull him to safety. The man was wearing wading boots. They got filled with water and it just started sucking him down."
Much of the Bandy community was impacted by the flash flooding.
"There were 14 people — adults and children — rescued by boat that night along with seven pets," Asbury recalled.
People with emergency management were able to save the pets by putting them in plastic tote boxes and getting them through the water, Asbury said.
About 4 inches of rain fell in two hours, flooding a total of eight homes. A few of those homes can be rebuilt, she stated. Neighbors called each other to warn them of flooding.
"We've got a lot of volunteers. Typical Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia folks have been donating things. It's been a very trying time for them," Asbury said.
The residents' continuing needs were addressed Tuesday morning when Asbury visited Bandy along with Del. James W. "Will" Morefield, R-Tazewell to speak with them about how local and state governments can help the community recover.
"We talked about things we can do for them right away," Asbury said. "The first thing they needed were cleaning supplies, personal care items and water. and then a few days later, they needed shovels to shovel the mud out of their homes and totes to store what little they salvaged from their homes."
Morefield said later that representatives from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors including Asbury and Chairman Aaron Gillespie from the Southern District, the Tazewell County Sheriff's Department and volunteers attended the meeting Tuesday.
"We wanted the community to know that all local and state agencies are working as hard as we can to ensure that we are making every resource available to help. It is heartbreaking to see the devastation in Bandy and throughout the region," Morefield said. "Dozens of families across the district I represent have lost everything they own. It is unfortunate that Virginia does not have dedicated resources available provide individual assistance."
"I am hopeful the recent event will send a message to the General Assembly that a dedicated state wide program is desperately needed to provide individual financial assistance for flood victims," Morefield stated. "Unfortunately, the only resources we have to rely on is FEMA and private contributions. FEMA may deny individual assistance as we saw in Hurley. Private contributions are greatly appreciated but in most cases are not enough to cover the majority of repairs. In several cases homeowners do not have insurance or have been denied insurance claims. I have offered a possible solution to appropriate funding from a current state program, but we are uncertain this can be done until all legal avenues have been explored."
Morefield said that if funding cannot be appropriated for individual assistance, he hoped that a permanent statewide flood relief program can be created during the next General Assembly session.
"I drafted legislation last session to create a program, but tabled the bill (House Bill 5) in order to focus on the immediate need of appropriating $11.4 million dollars in individual assistance for the Hurley flood victims which was approved," he said. "We never imagined something as tragic as the Hurley flood would impact our region again so soon. Nearly three months of research was involved while drafting House Bill 5 and the bill is a vehicle we can use to create a statewide flood relief program if we determine the administrative route is something that cannot be legally done before the next General Assembly session. Gov. Youngkin expressed his support for House Bill 5 while touring the flooded areas and I know that he will do everything within his authority to help our region."
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
