CLAYTOR LAKE, Va. – Officials now have said estimates of over 200 acres of debris are scattered across Claytor Lake.
Virginia Governor Youngkin said his message to Virginians is he’s with you to through this.
“We see you, and we’re here to make sure that together we can get to a real better day,“ Youngkin said.
It’s been two weeks since Helene brought devastation across southwest Virginia and Governor Youngkin said recovery is now the focus.
“Virginians are tough, there is a lot of grit in Virginians and they’ve shown it," Youngkin said.
He saw the damage firsthand and said he’s putting the US Army Corp of Engineers here on the fast track.
“This is going to go pretty quickly over the course of the next couple of weeks in order to get ready to finalize scope, to get a contract in place and to get going,” Youngkin said.
He said he has a team of people designated to our area.
“We’ve established an office in the Governor’s office of recovery," said Youngkin. “We’re going to stay with you until we get to the finish line.”
After his visit to Claytor Lake, he headed to the Hiwassee—Allisonia area of the county to see more damage.
Reports for cleanup show it could take months or even a year to get the lake back to what it was.