Guardian of Buena Vista: The Story of The Flood Wall
by Weston Lamoreaux
Hurricane Camille Mystery
On August 17th, 1969, a category five hurricane made its way into the Gulf of Mexico, then pounded into Mississippi. Hurricane Camille broke many records, including some that still stand to this day. Its 190 mph winds were the fastest the United States has ever seen on land for a hurricane. Camille continued north then made a sharp right turn towards Virginia. When the storm first hit shore, it was producing an average of eight inches of rain. As it traveled inland, the storm became less and less intense. It was estimated that by the time the storm hit Virginia it would be dropping to only one to two inches of rain. After Camille passed over the Appalachian mountains however, a weather anomaly occurred that baffles meteorologists to this day. It became one of the greatest weather mysteries that has ever taken place in the United States. The storm erupted in a massive and random cloudburst. The record for Virginia state rainfall before this occurred was eight inches. On August 19th 1969, it rained over 27 inches.
Buena Vista was caught in the middle of this disastrous weather and overnight was drowning in eight feet of water. The Maury River crested at a whopping 31 feet in the residential area. It caused immense amounts of destruction, not just in Buena Vista, but in all of Rockbridge County. In total, there was about 30 million dollars worth of flood damage in the county, with 23 people killed. The State of Virginia alone had 153 of the 259 fatalities caused by Hurricane Camille.
More Floods to Come
After the flood in 1969, Buena Vista continued to have problems with flooding. The next big storm came on November 5th, 1985. This time the Maury River crested at 26 feet as it came through town. A retired police captain named J.D McDaniel reported on this incident. His home had been affected by the first flood in ‘69. When the water level rose, it almost reached the ceiling of McDaniel’s living room. Then 16 years later in 1985, his house flooded again. This time it filled his house with 5 ½ feet of water. After all of the flooding, McDaniel continued to live there. “Yep, it’s still home,” he said. “I can’t afford another mortgage. I’m still paying on the flood of ‘85.”
Flooding in Buena Vista led to a lot of economic downturns that have seriously hurt the city. Many of those who were able chose to move out of town after their homes were affected. The floods forced many industries in town to go under as a result of damages. In the 1985 flood, two factories in Buena Vista, (Rea Magnet Wire and Reeves Brothers) were forced to shut down because of the water. Flooding is also a likely reason why so many companies chose not to move their enterprises into Buena Vista. Along with these difficult setbacks, farmers in the area also took a major hit. Good, fertile soil was washed away, leading to bad crops for many years to come. Stephanie Hardy, the director of library services and archivist at the Von Canon Library at Southern Virginia University, said that “After all that happened, the flood wall became a necessity.”
Plans for a Flood Wall
Something needed to be done to prevent a future collapse of the city’s assets. The flood wall was proposed shortly after the flood in 1985. City sponsors contacted the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to begin plans for the project. What they came up with was 11,700 ft (2.2 miles) of what is called, a riprapped wall. “Riprapped” means a combination of rock and concrete that creates a sloped barrier. They estimated the floodwall to be finished in the year 1997. The Corps of Engineers moved forward with this plan, starting the wall just little ways downriver from the dam. They ended the wall at the Norfolk and Western Railway bridge. The total cost of the entire project was around 38 million dollars. Even when they first began the project and the wall was only 10% complete, it was reported that the flood wall had already prevented flooding for multiple businesses.
The Flood Wall Today
Along with the protection the flood wall provides, there are many benefits to having this staple in our community. Today residents use the flood wall for many different activities. Cross-Country running teams use it often preparing for competition. College and high school curriculums use it for environmental studies. Friendly neighbors walk their dogs, and fishermen spend all day near the banks. In 2014, Buena Vista City Manager Jay Scudder mentioned an exciting future possibility, “We want to connect the Chessie Trail with Buena Vista’s flood wall.” This progress has a lot of potential to strengthen the community and influence growth. Scars can still be seen from the hardships of the city’s past. But our little city that has been through so much can view the flood wall as our triumph over difficult circumstances, and as hope for the future.
Special thanks to Stephanie Hardy who helped me find so much information.
