PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — The storms that have rocked Virginia over the past few weeks may have blown away, but the aftermath could still impact your holiday weekend.
Trees are down all across Petersburg National Battlefield, leaving parts of the park closed for the Fourth of July weekend.
Crews are currently working to get them open again by early next week.
“June 16 storm really hit the eastern area hard,” Alexa Viets, the park’s superintendent, said. “We found at least 150 trees. What we are mostly concerned with were the impacts for visitor safety.”
Further up I-95, Friends of the James River say fallen branches could pose a problem if you plan on hitting the water this weekend. While the river doesn’t stop flowing around branches, they can easily trap boaters and swimmers.
“Makes it so dangerous because people are tooling around on an innertube or whatever and they get washed into these debris piles,” a Friends of the James River representative said. “The water’s going through but the person doesn’t, so you get caught up in it,”
If you’re heading into the great outdoors this weekend, stay aware when you are out on the water or on your favorite hiking trail.
And no matter what your plans are, stay hydrated and be aware of the high heat indexes that will be rising all weekend.
