BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – Some residents at Wildwood Mobile Home Park in Botetourt County are having to find someplace else to live as they wait for floodwater from Wednesday’s rain to recede from the park.
“We barely made it to the car. I didn’t even know if it was going to start,” said Wildwood Mobile Home Park resident Roger Baker, recalling how he evacuated from his camper.
Baker fought back tears as he stood at the edge of the floodwater, not knowing if the two cats he couldn’t get out before firefighters made him evacuate were alive.
“You know how animals are. They’re like your children. I’ve had these two for nine years. I know they’re scared to death,” Baker said.
Thankfully, he was able to rescue his other six cats.
Aside from the cats, he also had to get his mother out of the camper.
Resident Jesse Arthur also has pets he was concerned about, but luckily his home was not under water so he didn’t have to evacuate.
“It was pretty crazy,” Arthur said about seeing the flooding. “The fire department was everywhere, the animal control trucks were everywhere.”
Members of the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office and Fire and Rescue Department were on hand for several hours, making sure everyone was safe.
“We had crashes going on on the interstate and other roadways, closed roads, a mudslide on Valley Road. So we had resources expended throughout the county and we’re just trying to help wherever we can,” said Botetourt County Sheriff Matt Ward.
By Wednesday evening, the floodwater had receded from the mobile home park but how much damage was done was still unclear.