PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — After severe storms passed through central Virginia over the past few weeks, some local parks are feeling the effects of left-over storm debris as they prepare for Fourth of July celebrations.
Petersburg National Battlefield and the James River are just two places in the area that have been impacted by storm debris. Crews are working to make sure people can still enjoy those places with safety still in mind.
But how could this impact July 4th visitation at the parks?
At Petersburg National Battlefield, crews are using chainsaws and woodchippers to remove downed trees and branches. Park officials said the severe thunderstorms around June 16th did a number on the Eastern Front of the park and caused them to close portions of it. But they’re hoping to have it opened back up by early this week.
“When we did our first assessment of it, we found at least 150 trees that were impacting the tour road, as well as the trails,” acting superintendent at Petersburg National Battlefield, Karen Beck-Herzog, told 8News on Friday.
According to the park’s Facebook page, the Eastern Front tour road and trails are now back open but the boardwalk at the Crater Tunnel entrance remains closed as of Sunday.
The lingering damage comes as people are expected to travel to the Richmond area from all over Virginia to appreciate the beauty of the land this holiday, but now, they might be facing park closures instead.
“People who have come in to really explore Virginia’s history, especially with the Civil War. Unfortunately, they are going to be disappointed that they’re not going to be able to explore all the Eastern Front of the park,” Beck-Herzog said.
As crews work to get the rest of the debris in that park cleared out, over on the James River, clusters of fallen trees bundling up in the water are also causing some concerns.
“It’s a lot of sharp wood, because it’s broken off. It’s broken branches. And if that broken part is pointing upstream, you can get all hung up on it, scraped up, impaled,” one member of Friends of the James River, Greg Velzy, said on Friday.
Velzy said the recent severe weather is the reason to blame. He offered a word of caution if your July Fourth plans involve hitting this water this year.
“Know where you’re going and know what the hazards are,” Velzy said. “It could be that there’s a whole tree underneath water that you don’t see. So, if you’re not paying attention, you get hung up on that tree without even seeing it [and get] caught up in it.”
