UPDATE: Kaine says storm’s effects abating

RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said today that the effects of a storm system that battered Hampton Roads are easing and that flooding in western Virginia and elsewhere may not be reach levels that had been feared.

“I think it’s basically abating and that’s what we’re hearing from the localities,“ said Kaine, who took questions from reporters after he was briefed at the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Chesterfield County.

Four traffic deaths have been attributed to the storm, the governor and Virginia State Police said, with a driver from Hampton confirmed as the latest fatality.

Kaine, who is chairman of the Democratic National Committee and last night headlined a fundraiser in Arkansas, also defended his travel during the storm. He had come under criticism from Republicans.

The governor, who will visit storm-stricken areas tomorrow, said two weather features—the remnants of Ida and a nor’easter—combined to cause problems of a historic level in Hampton Roads, where Norfolk, Portsmouth and other localities were flooded and more than 116,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers remained without electricity this afternoon.

“We’ve seen some hurricanes that were bigger than this,“ Kaine said. “But in at least a couple of instances, the storm surges that were measured in the Hampton Roads area were some of the biggest.“

Kaine said that about 250 people were in shelters, most of them in Hampton Roads.

In western Virginia, he said, flooding in rivers and streams did not appear to be reaching some of the more severe levels that had been forecast. He noted that were not as many problems as expected on the Dan River, or with streams in Southwest Virginia.

“Intense rainfall lends itself to intense flash floods” in the hilly southwest, he said, but so far that does not appear to be the case.

The governor said officials were also hopeful that there would not be significant flooding problems on the James or Blackwater rivers. Flooding on the Blackwater in 1999 caused major damage in the city of Franklin, which recently learned that its major employer, International Paper in Isle of Wight County, will shut down.

As to his travel out of state, the governor said he was gone only a day and that he remained in close contact with the state’s emergency officials, whom he called the best in the nation.

“The Rs (Republicans) are going to say what they’re going to say,“ he said. “In terms of their press release, I don’t feel the need to comment on it.“

Asked if he thought the criticism of his travel was fair, Kaine told a reporter,  “I’ll let you editorialize. I’ve said what I’m going to say.“

While weather conditions eased statewide, residents in many Hampton Roads neighborhoods found swamped conditions as they began their day. Norfolk was drenched by nearly 8 inches of rain over the past two days, leaving many streets under several inches to several feet of water.

City spokesman Bob Batcher says with high tide reached, flood waters should recede and allow officials to assess the damage. A primary concern, he said, is the safety of residents, who will find flooded yards and downed tree limbs and power lines.

The National Weather Service says just under 5 inches of rain pelted Norfolk during a 24-hour period ending at midnight. The Midtown Tunnel and the James River Bridge remained closed as a precaution through the evening high tide, officials said. The port of Hampton Roads was closed a second day.

Statewide, more than 400 roads and several bridges were barred because of high water or other weather-related problems. Travel on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry was suspended.

While Ida packed a punch, officials are grateful it’s no Isabel, which was much more potent and felled forests of trees along its path. The storm made a destructive run through Virginia in 2003, leaving nearly 2 million power customers in the dark, some for weeks, and leaving at least 25 dead.

“This is mainly a water event,“ said Batcher. “We have downed trees but not as bad as Isabel.“

The water, however, was substantial. Flooding was reported across the region. People rowed boats in some streets, school systems closed and even the military curtailed its operations.

“This is a historical event,“ Chris Wamsley, a National Weather Service meteorologist said yesterday.

Heavy rain and wind also lashed the Outer Banks yesterday. In South Nags Head, a condemned house collapsed in the ocean, and a line of about 10 oceanfront houses were partially collapsed yesterday after being battered by surging seas.

West to the Richmond-Tri Cities region, numerous roads were closed and several outlying school districts opened two hours late, but the effects of the storm were less strongly felt.

In the 24 hours since 7 a.m. Friday, Richmond received 3.24 inches of rain, compared to 4.95 inches for Newport News and just more than 4 inches for Norfolk the weather service said. But from Tuesday night through yesterday afternoon, the rainfall in Hampton Roads was much heavier—7.63 inches in Hampton, nearly 7 inches in Virginia Beach, 5.4 inches in Norfolk, and 3.41 inches at Richmond.

The James River in Richmond topped the 12-foot flood stage today about 5 a.m. at the Westham gauge near the Huguenot Bridge. The river is expected to crest tomorrow morning at 14.5 feet, causing minor flooding.

Virginia health officials, meantime, closed all Chesapeake Bay tributaries to shellfish harvesting because of potential contamination from storm waters.

The Virginia Department of Health says the ban is effective until Nov. 18. It includes Eastern Shore bayside and seaside tributaries, and all but the center of the lower James River, from Burwell Bay to the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge. The harvesting ban covers oysters, clams and scallops — but not crabs or fish.

Heavy rainfall and tidal flooding in upland areas may wash animal waste, human sewage and chemicals into the bay. The agency says shellfish harvested from areas affected by the emergency closure aren’t fit for human consumption.

Virginia State Police said four people died in weather-related traffic wrecks:

—In Isle of Wight County, Amy Pippin, 26, of Smithfield tried to pass a vehicle and hit a tractor-trailer head-on, killing her and seriously injuring her 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.

—In Nelson County, Alger Fleming, 66, of Amherst died when he was hit by a tractor-trailer on state Route 56.

—In Northampton County, Yesenia Rivera, 30, of Waltham, Mass., was killed and three other people were injured when their car flipped.

—Christopher E. Wright, 28, of Hampton, was killed just after 2 a.m. Wednesday in a single-vehicle crash while entering the ramp from Hampton Roads Center Parkway to westbound Interstate 64.

(Times-Dispatch staff writers Jim Nolan, Rex Springston and Mark Bowes, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)