Isaias was swift but furious, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and even some possible tornadoes to the Historic Triangle Tuesday.
It also brought some flooding and damages.
Isaias made landfall Monday night in southern North Carolina near Ocean Isle Beach as a category 1 hurricane — it was downgraded to a tropical storm as it entered Virginia.
The National Weather Service reported three to four inches of rainfall Tuesday with wind speeds between 40 to 50 mph in James City and York counties. The tropical storm exited the region around 4:50 a.m.
Overnight, residents were placed under tornado warnings as Isaias headed north.
Timothy Gingrich, meteorologist at National Weather Service in Wakefield, said they received several reports of tornadoes up and down the eastern coast. Gingrich said it would take several days for the team to survey the areas impacted to confirm if a tornado touched down or not.
Dominion energy at 9:07 a.m. Tuesday is reporting power outages in Williamsburg (844), York County (10,173) and James City County (9,221).
Nearly 300,000 customers were without power in Hampton Roads as of 9:07 a.m., according to Dominion. Call 866-366-4357 if you lose power or online here.
Here are the power outages as of 5:10 p.m. Tuesday, according to Dominion Energy: Williamsburg (507), James City County (854), York County (2,090).
The city of Williamsburg at 8:25 a.m. reported customers in the Quarterpath area were without power, including Riverside Doctors’ Hospital.
Hospital officials said the facility ran on generator power between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. The hospital went on divert for about an hour, not accepting patients. The hospital is now fully operational.
In James City County, Governor’s Land reported damage — from a suspected tornado — to their golf courses. Some homes had shingles missing, and one had a garage door blown in, said Sara Ruch, the county’s deputy coordinator for emergency management.
A James City Service Authority waste water lift station in Governor’s Land also sustained damage from the suspected tornado. The station remained operational and water quality was not affected, according to the county.
Dominion Energy crews are conducting damage assessments and restoring outages. They are preparing for a multi-day restoration effort. As of now, they cannot offer restoration estimates. Dominion says crews will work around the clock.
Most primary and secondary roads throughout James City County are passable, with moderate pooling along shoulders and some pockets of standing water on roadways, according to the county.
Cranston’s Mill Pond Road, Olde Towne Road and Gardner Court are flooded and closed. VDOT has barricades at Cranston’s Mill Pond Road and in the area of Stewarts Road.
Release #2 – 1:50 p.m. August 4, Summary of Impacts from Isaias: https://t.co/ps7g5JABtI
Photos from Governor's Land pic.twitter.com/3QkVJffhA3
— James City County (@JamesCityCounty) August 4, 2020
Williamsburg Police said there were no major damages in the city.
The city’s spokeswoman, Nicole Trifone, said a tree fell on a home on the 500 block of Dunning Street; damage to the home is moderate and the occupants were not displaced.
At 5:45 a.m. the Williamsburg Fire Department responded to a residential structure fire on the 300 block of Roland Street. Human Services is assisting three displaced residents.
The fire remains under investigation; fire officials have not yet determined whether the fire is related to the storm, Trifone said.
To report downed trees or blocked roadways, call the city’s Public Works and Utilities Department at 757-220-6140.
There are multiple reports of downed trees in York County.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office reported at 8:10 a.m. a tree fell into a home on Burts Road; 8:13 a.m. tree into a building on East Woodland Drive; 8:17 a.m. tree blocking roadway on Colonial Parkway near Cheatham Annex; 8:23 lines down in the area of Old York Hampton and Hornsville.
The sheriff’s office said all of the main roads are now open.
About six homes were damaged by falling trees and about 35 trees have been cleared from roads, said Gail Whittaker, spokeswoman for York County.
The county is offering free storm debris pick-up for people who register by Aug. 11. You can register here.
Residents of low-lying areas in York County who moved their boats, trailers, campers, etc. to either the McReynolds Athletic Complex or Chisman Creek Park are asked to remove their vehicles by Wednesday evening.
Many businesses in the Riverwalk Landing and Historic area are closed for the day, as well as the fishing pier, boat docks, and the Beach Picnic Area. The Trolley service is suspended for the day. Operations are to return to normal Wednesday.
Trash pick-up is rescheduled for Aug. 8. Recycling pick-ups are delayed to the following day, according to the county.
The Board of Supervisors meeting has been cancelled and agenda items requiring board action will be moved to the Aug. 18 meeting.
Go to the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page for updated information.
For closures and adjustments in the Historic Triangle, click here.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
