VA Governor Reports 1 Death From Isaias; 60K Homes Without Power

VIRGINIA — Tropical Storm Isaias caused one death in Virginia as more than 40 tornado warnings were issued when the storm swept through the state Tuesday morning, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday at a news conference in Richmond. The death occurred in Lancaster County where the National Weather Service reported that a tornado struck near the town of Kilmarnock.

The pre-dawn tornado left a path of significant structural damage about 5:40 a.m. Tuesday in the area of the Northern Neck. The Kilmarnock fire chief said the tornado partially collapsed the roof of a home where a couple in their 80s live, WRIC reported. The fire chief said the tornado went directly through a subdivision called Fleetsbay Estates.

At Wednesday's news conference, the governor did not share the person's age or explain the circumstances that lead to the person's death from the storm.

Most of the flooding and damage from Isaias occurred in the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula and southeastern regions of Virginia. Northern Virginia saw some minor flooding and only limited power outages.

The National Weather Service has so far confirmed four tornadoes in Virginia from Isaias. Northam said state and local emergency officials are assessing the damage to see if it meets the threshold to request federal assistance.

The storm left scattered road closures and power outages in the Richmond area and more widespread disruption across the Tidewater region, where winds approached 70 mph. Dominion Energy reported that 500,000 customers lost power across its service territory in Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, ranking Isaias as the company's 10th-largest storm outage.

As of Wednesday afternoon, about 60,000 homes were still without power in Virginia, primarily in the southeastern Virginia. Dominion cautioned that it could take "multiple days to restore service for affected customers, particularly in North Carolina, Hampton Roads, Northern Neck and the Middle Peninsula."

Northam noted that Isaias struck Virginia early in the hurricane season and for residents to prepare for future storms this year.

"This is just the first storm in the hurricane season, a bit earlier than we would have hoped for," Northam said. "So I encourage all Virginians to make sure that you are prepared, be ready for power outages, or even evacuations as we move further into the season," he said.

Northam urged residents to make sure they have supplies of food, water and medications, in addition to a protective mask, in preparation for future storms.

The Virginia National Guard deployed 80 members and used 30 vehicles in response to the storm, the governor said.