Flooding in the New River Valley

Upon doing some research on some different locations on the new river I found some data for Hawk's Nest state park which is one of the primary locations in my study area. 

As you can see from the data, they have had some very high levels of water which led to some flooding in the area. 

One other interesting fact I came across while researching for any notable floods in Hawk's Nest was the construction of the Hawk's Nest tunnel. Built in the 1930's the tunnel was constructed in order to lead the water from Hawk's Nest Lake to create hydroelectric power for West Virginian citizens. During construction of this tunnel over 2900 workers were exposed to high levels of silica which can get into your lungs and cause clogging and trouble breathing, as a result of this many of the workers died and it is known to be one of the deadliest occupational disasters in American history. Today the tunnel is still in use and provides hydroelectric power.

In terms of flooding, the New River as a whole just crested this past Friday due to the hurricane's rainfall. 

Another area I was observing was Thurmond which is a town just down river of Hawk's Nest State Park and has also experienced flooding.

Above notes some of the impacts of the flood including flooding in railroads, businesses and other important buildings throughout the town.

In 2016, this area of West Virginia experienced its worst flash flooding in the past 100 years and it sadly claimed the lives of 26 people.

When I was researching one feature that causes the new river to flood rapidly after rainfall is its steep nature. The steep hills and banks on either side of the river causes the rain to funnel quickly down into the river and causes a quick rise in water level.

References: 

Davis, M. (2020, October 16). Hawk’s Nest Tunnel undergoes first inspection since the 1930s. WOWK 13 News. https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/hawks-nest-tunnel-undergoes-inspection-since-the-1930s/

Kennedy, M. (2024, September 29). Images from Fries, Virginia Along the New River from Historic Flooding After Helene’s Rainfall. WXII. https://www.wxii12.com/article/wxii-flooding-new-river-fries-helene/62426520

Gary. (2016, June 25). Worst Flooding In West Virginia In 100 Years Claims 26 Lives. UNSEALED - World News | Christian News | Prophecy Updates. https://www.unsealed.org/2016/06/worst-flooding-in-west-virginia-in-100.html