Police chief details street closures
Published 7:49 pm Thursday, November 12, 2020
Third Street from Main Street to Virginia Street at the Post Office is closed due to flooding. (Photo by Staci Bridge)
Water can be seen in the Green Front Furniture showroom in the basement of one of the buildings along the Appomattox River. (Photo by Staci Bridge)
The river has closed in around Green Front Furniture and has flooded the basement of one of the buildings. (Photo by Staci Bridge)
Third Street is closed where Gross Creek has backed up in the town due to high water levels on the Appomattox. (Photo by Staci Bridge)
Farmville Police has closed Third Street at the Post Office. (Photo by Staci Bridge)
This photo from Virginia Preparedness from earlier in the day shows the extent of the flooding around the Highway 45 bridge. (Photo courtesy of Virginia Preparedness)
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Farmville Police Chief Andy Ellington provided the Farmville Town Council with an update on flooding in the town Thursday, Nov. 12 at the beginning of the council’s monthly meeting.
Ellington said the closing of the North Main Street bridge means Farmville and Prince Edwards County emergency services cannot reach the Cumberland County side of the bridge leaving Cumberland to solely cover that area. Patients needing hospitalization on the Cumberland side of the bridge will be taken to a Richmond hospital.
A.Q. “Andy” Ellington
The closing of the Highway 15 North bridge at the Prince Edward-Buckingham County line and the Route 45 bridge means getting to Farmville is not easy and requires a long detour.
“It’s kind of a mess right now,” Ellington said.
In addition to River Road and Plank Road being closed at the North Main Street bridge, Second Street is closed from Main Street to South Virginia Street. Third Street is closed from Main Street to Virginia Street at the Post Office.
“We certainly expect that within the next two to three hours, we will be closing Fourth Street as well,” Ellington said. “Water is now coming into the municipal parking lot here behind Town Hall.”
Mayor David Whitus said he understands it has been at least 50 years since the Route 15 bridge has been shut down.
“It’s a really unusual circumstance and if you don’t have to travel tonight, please don’t travel,” Whitus said. “Don’t try to go through the water. It’s very dangerous.”
Ellington a report he received earlier said the river would crest at 7 a.m. Friday but was unsure if that was still accurate given the rapid rise seen so far.
