Torrential rains in Fairfax County on September 8 resulted in severe flooding throughout the region. The storm was responsible for three fatalities, damaged homes and buildings, numerous motor vehicle accidents, and the cancellation of schools and various community events.
Flooded roads led to many accidents, abandoned vehicles, and stranded motorists. Many commuters experienced problems when they returned to the Herndon/Monroe Park & Ride Lot at Sunrise Valley, finding their cars submerged in water.
One student, junior Hopa Siqhengalu, went out of his way to witness the soaked cars.
“I went to see the Sunrise Valley Parking lot and there was a car up to the hood in water,” said Siqhengalu. “It was terrible. It took me an hour and a half to get home.”
In one case, the Reston Patch reported that a tree fell on a South Lakes bus transporting special needs children. Although no students were injured, both the driver and the driver’s aide required medical attention. Another tree fell along Wiehle Avenue, blocking one side completely and causing a traffic gridlock.
The Washington Post reported that Arsalan Hakiri, a 67-year-old Reston resident, drowned while trying to escape from his submerged Toyota Yaris.
A second death occurred when 12-year-old Jack Donaldson was swept away by floodwaters in the backyard of his Vienna home. Donaldson’s body was found by police officers in Piney Branch Creek near Lawyers Road.
Galo Sebastian Salvador Vinueza, a 25-year-old Lorton resident, also died during Thursday’s deluge when he abandoned his car and attempted to walk across the flooded Accotink Creek Bridge.
With transportation paralyzed in many areas, individuals took refuge where they could. The Fairfax Connector placed a bus at the Reston Park and Ride lot as shelter for commuters with partially submerged cars.
Some Fairfax County schools served as temporary shelters for students stranded by the storm. According to Principal Bruce Butler, the last student was picked up from South Lakes High School at exactly 7:00.
“We were planning to spend the night watching movies and ordering pizza if we had to,” said Butler.
During the rainstorm, staff members at South Lakes scrambled to control the leaking roofs found throughout the school building.
“The biggest leak was midway down the stairway outside the library,” said Butler. “The water went where it was supposed to go, but the flashing couldn’t handle the 5 or 6 inches of rain so there was overflow. We ended up catching the leak with two garbage cans.”
The damage was relatively mild though compared to what other buildings and businesses, such as history teacher Tor Strom’s paintball facility, experienced.
“I lost part of a 940-foot bridge and was forced to shut down for a little bit to rebuild,” said Strom.
In Lee’s aftermath, conditions throughout the county remained sufficiently serious that FCPS officials deemed it necessary to cancel schools and school related activities on Friday.
The annual South Lakes vs. Herndon football game was rescheduled for the following Monday. Other community events, such as the swimming part of the Reston Triathlon, were cancelled as well.