Danville prepares for major Dan River flooding

6:10 p.m.

The Dan River is raging.  At six feet above the flood level, it carries trees and huge logs down stream and it’s getting higher and higher by the minute.  Barry Doebert with the Danville Public Works Department says they’ve been busy.

“Some of the streets are prone to flooding because of the low areas compared to the river,” said Barry Doebert.

The river started overflowing into the Harris Teeter parking lot.  Down the road on Trade Street, some cars fly right through standing water.  While we were shooting video, a city crew showed up to shut it down.
     
With the Dan River going up all day, Danville city crews have been out preparing for these rising waters.
   
“We’re pumping water out of the storm drains into the river to keep the streets dry,” said Doebert.

Other crews set up barrels on the side of the road so they can be pulled to close roads when needed.

Scoop after scoop, city jail inmates fill sandbags that will be used to hold back the water where ever it’s needed.  A near by walking trail is under several feet of water and Doebert says by tonight major roads could look the same.

“It’d be about five foot tall of standing water in River Street.  That’s about the same or a little bit worse than when Fran came through a few years ago,” said Doebert.

It shouldn’t get quite that bad.  The National Weather Service estimates the river will rise to about 26 feet around midnight Thursday.

“Don’t be nosey about what’s on the streets or how high the water is.  If there’s a closed sign or a high water sign, stay away from it,” said Doebert.

He says his crews will be out all night monitoring flood levels to keep the streets as safe as possible.

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2:10 p.m.

From Jarett Henshaw, in the field
WSLS Digital Journalist

Danville Public Works crews are preparing for the projected flood of the Dan River in the City.  The National Weather Service believe the Dan River will crest around 26.4 feet sometime Thursday night near midnight. The record was 28.65 feet back in September of 1996.

Several streets are already closed, and Public Works crews are placing barrels on the sides of roads they think will flood tonight.  Crews are also filling sandbags, along with inmates from the City jail.

Flooding on River Street is the main problem that the City is preparing for.

I’ll have an update on the preparations and the flooding already taking place tonight on WSLS at 6:00 p.m.