fiend
Aug 2, 2001, 7:34 PM
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August 1, 2001 The devastating floods that took two lives last week and caused millions of dollars in property damage have ravaged West Virginia's New River Gorge, a favorite destination among climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, and river-runners. A number of trails and roads in the New River Gorge National River are submerged or closed due to rockslides, mudslides, debris and washouts. The park has appointed a resource assessment team to determine the level and cost of damages. "We are discovering new slides day to day," said Tammi Woodrum, information officer for the New River Gorge. "It's still a dynamic situation." As of Wednesday, nine out of 34 trails, covering more than 23 of the 66 total trail-miles in the park, are closed, and road access to various regions of the park is limited. The park has contracted a shuttle service for the next two weekends to help rafters and kayakers get to major put-in and take-out points, where most of the parking has been destroyed. As of Monday, the lower New River at Fayette Station was 21.5 feet high and flowing at 85,000 cubic feet per second, according to Woodrum. The average height for this time of year is between one and two feet, and flows are typically around 3,800 cubic feet per second. Commercial rafting companies have had to move up river or into neighboring tributaries where the waters are calmer. However, the floods have brought some good news for whitewater enthusiasts. "Kayakers are having the time of their lives right now," said Jerry Cook, co-owner of ACE Whitewater, a guiding company in nearby Oak Hill. Many of the small tributaries feeding into the New River Gorge are flowing at springtime levels, which is great for kayakers, and the rafting is "phenomenal", according to Cook. North and downstream of New River Gorge is Summersville lake, a popular location for rock climbing. Currently 20 feet higher than normal, the lake is inaccessible to climbers, according to the Summersville Army Corp of Engineers. The lake is slowly being drained into New Gualey River and the ACE expects the levels of the lake to be back to normal by next week. Cook and other members of the Association of West Virginia Professional River Outfitters have been meeting weekly since the July 8 floods to find new access routes and distribute information to keep kayakers and rafters safe. The July 8 floods destroyed 1,500 homes and damaged over 4,000 homes, according to the Associated Press. So far, there are no reports of lives lost due to outdoor activities. This past week, more rain fell on many of the same areas of Virginia and West Virginia that were struck earlier in the month. As of yesterday, 24 counties in West Virginia had been declared federal disaster areas, and Virginia's governor has declared a state of emergency in several counties and is requesting federal aid, the AP reports. The first flood did a lot of damage to the park, said Woodrum, but it was the last bout of rains, which fell over a greater area, that caused the most damage. New River Gorge officials say they expect to have most of the park operational by the end of September. Source: Outside Online [ This Message was edited by: fiend on 2001-08-02 12:39 ]
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