RADFORD, Va. – Several parks in Radford remain closed after Tropical Storm Michael brought near-record flooding to the city last week.
According to the National Weather Service, the New River crested at just under 24 feet -- the fourth-highest level ever.
"It got up to both baseball fields. That's the highest I’ve ever seen it," City Operator Travis Reece said.
Days after Tropical Storm Michael brought flash flooding to Radford, city crews are still working on clean-up.
"Just get the mud off the trails, some trees were down, dumpsters, picnic tables carried away," Reece said.
All city parks along the river, including Bisset Park, Riverview, Sparky's Run, Veterans Field and the New River Sports Complex, are closed until further notice.
Just down the road, things are starting to get back to normal at the Radford Animal Shelter after an emergency evacuation Thursday and finding last-minute foster homes for all animals. Some are back at the shelter now, but others aren't coming back.
"We’ve already had five adoptions," lead animal control officer and shelter manager Adele Katrovitz said.
Fortunately, the flood-prone shelter lucked out this time, with hardly any damage.
"People always say to me when it doesn't come inside, 'Oh, you did all that hard work for nothing.' No, I didn't because a lot of the animals get homes, which is awesome," Katrovitz said.
Although it’s mostly good news for the shelter, just miles away, the road to recovery continues.
Public works crews they hope to have all the damage cleaned up by the end of the week.