appomattox county. one of them in evergreen. another 12 miles to the southeast of appomattox along route 460. we had seven injuries and one casualty with a tornado that occurred at 3:35 yesterday. over 425 wind reports. the good news is we are seeing clearing skies. we're going to see the dry weather continued through the weekend. temperatures are cool. mid-40s. you can see the power cam shaking. that is going to be the biggest culprit in the weather. we are seeing sustained winds of 10 to 15 and 20 miles per hour. wind gusts over 25 miles per hour. take a look at the full forecast coming up. >>> heartbreak in the hardest hit town of waverley. at least four people dead including a toddler when a tornado toss their mobile home. survivors are still shaken almost a day later. >> this went about 3 feet off the ground. when you drop back down, the windows when pow. the storm's shredded homes in north carolina. the storms damaged buildings in lancaster, pennsylvania. also in the northeast, blinding rain and downed power lines. the rolling sea overturned a coast guard vessel that went to rescue a fis

one at the appomattox community center, the other in neighboring pamplin. residents tell wfxr news they're happy for all of the work that the red cross "i am thankful and grateful for the shelter and for the people here. that are so good and so kind to help on another especially in a time like this." the red cross says they will keep the shelters open as long as people need to stay. organizations throughout the region are also doing what they can to help the tornado victims.wfxr's kristen eskow spoke to god's pit crew from danviile...she tells us how they're lending a helping hand. :00-:05:21-:26:53-:58 kristen intro: "members of god's pit crew have visited three different areas in virginia affected by the tornadoes to assess the damage. the next step is delivering assistance to the victims."as virginia's tornado victims try to begin the process of picking up the pieces and rebuilding - members of god's pit crew are figuring out what they can do to help.cline: "once they decide this is where we're going, then we have to decide what equipment and we start lo

help is coming from all over for victims of the tornado in appomattox... even the home town that story, just everything you need to know about life, you can learn from granola. keep it simple. make every piece count. let other people know what you're made of. always be real. don't be fake, don't be artificial, but always be sweet. and of course, wear sunscreen. nature valley granola bars. 3 have been reaching out to help.3 we're going to go back out to mona.. mona..mona 3 3 3 remember the coat as you head out the door-temperatures are starting out in the 30s this morning. friday will be mostly sunny, breezy and cool. high temperatures reach the low to mid 40s. temperatures will be in the upper 30s north and west toward the won't be as strong as yesterday, but we could still see gusts up to 25mph. the weekend forecast looks picture perfect for any outdoor plans. enjoy mostly sunny skies both saturday and sunday. tomorrow's morning lows will be in the 20s and we'll see highs in the upper 40s to afternoon. a nice warm up arrives for sunday as highs reach the l

about the man killed in the appomattox tornado.it was the search team. he was in a field. this as families see what's left of their homes. danner but they are getting some help digging through the rubble... football cleanup sot we have the very latest on the devastation in appomattox. 3 3 mark we now know just how big that tornado was that touched down in appomattox county.danner this is the damage it left behind late yesterday afternoon. the national weather service says the deadly twister had peak wind speeds with an e-f 3 intensity -- that's between 136 and 165 miles per hour. they say it started on berry lane and took a 13 mile track northeast. and it was this is only the third tornado to touch down in appomattox county since they started keeping track in 1950. and while there are dozens without a home... the county administrator says they are getting help taking care of those in need. susan adams, appomattox county administrator - "the one thing about appomattox county is that it is a very friendly community and the churches have done a tremendous job or providing hou

live in appomattox, marissa parra, abc 13 news. 3 mark one man died in the storm. state police confirm they found 78-year-old edward harris in a field near his home. his friends at evergreen baptist church say.. he lived in appomattox his whole life. he was a farmer.. and had a lot of connections in the community. the appomattox sheriff says.. harris lived in a mobile home off twin tunnels lane. rescue workers found him in a hayfield.. covered in hay. officials say.. every accounted for. 3 mark tight state police say 20 homes were destroyed by the tornado. and at least 100 structures had damage in the 13-mile stretch along route 4-60 through evergreen and redhouse. courtney wheaton spoke with one family whose home was leveled. and courtney.. they tell you a mattress saved them.court sat live 3 jared and sharanda totty stand where their house once stood counting their blessings, and losses. sharanda says she was at home alone with her one year old daughter when she got news a tornado was approaching. "at first i didn't believe it" but then.. "im holding her in my lap

the damage here in appomattox, mcauliffe surveyed the area in his helicopter. once on houses talking to people... many of whom lost everything. mcauliffe also met with phil hysell of the national weather service who says that this storm had gusts of 120 miles per hour. mcauffe said after seeing the damage, that really wasn't a surprise. sot- mcauliffe (:12)"we saw a lot of debris in trees. but you see an area with a bunch of people out on the ground going trying to find some treasured memento and hoping they can recover something" annie satlive sadly after natural disasters we always see people trying to take advantage of the people who lost everything. i asked mcauliffe how they plan to keep that from happening. he said they already have people on the ground watching out for that. live in appomattox, annie andersen, abc 13 news. 3 3 3 3 mark waverly is another area hard hit by the tornado. three people are dead there... a 2-year-old child and two men, ages 50 and 26. police say the toddler's mother was also in the trailer governor mcauliffe met privately with

it's the strongest tornado to ever hit appomattox county. according to the national weather service .. the e-f-3 tornado ... continued for 13 miles ... killing one person. state police say 78-year-old edward harris was thrown from his home. he was found nearby on twin tunnel lane late last night. 7 others were hurt. now the community is pitching in ... to help the victims. wsls ten's duke joins us now live from appomattox county. duke ... you talked with a few members of the appomattox county football team .... who are lending support to those in need... the appomattox county high school football team is volunteering their time and muscle to get rid of the debris that was left behind after the storm. vo there about 25 members from the appomattax football team who are helping their team mates cleanup. their coach says after the storm hit they say this is their way to show their support to homes. football players say they're glad the teammates are helping out. take sot drew mand/appomatto x football team that's even more better just to be with

the cat also survived. live in appomattox, suri crowe, abc 13 news. 3 danner plasma if you're in the affected area and your pet is missing, please call the appomattox county animal shelter at (434) 352-7922. they are going to try and help out and reunite pets with their families. if you have your pets but you need a place to keep them -- the boonsboro animal hospital is offering free boarding for those affected by the tornado. you just have to make sure your animal's vaccines are current. you can call 3 them at 434-384-7799. 3 danner plasma volunteers wanting to help clean up showed up at the old thomasville building in appomattox to sign up. you need to go to the main parking lot. all volunteers have to go through will be told where they volunteer. they will be assigned a task and will have to record the hours they work. all volunteers must have an official placard on vehicles to be allowed to enter into the storm-affected area. all contractors must register as well. 3 danner plasma a lot of you have been asking how you can

one at the appomattox community center, the other in neighboring pamplin. residents tell wfxr news they're happy for all of the work that the red cross volunteers are doing. "i am thankful and grateful for the shelter and here. that are so good and so kind to a time like this." the red cross says they will keep the shelters open as long as people need to stay. organizations throughout the region are also doing what they can to help the tornado victims.wfxr's kristen eskow spoke to god's pit crew from danviile...she tells us how they're lending a helping hand. :00-:05:21-:26:53-:58 kristen intro: "members of god's pit crew have visited three different areas in virginia affected by the tornadoes to assess the damage. the next step is delivering assistance to the victims."as virginia's tornado victims try to begin the process of picking up the pieces and rebuilding - members of god's pit crew are figuring out what they can do to help.cline: "once they decide this is where we're going, then we have to decide what equipment and we start loading trucks with skid

the kids in school. so folks are very smart. after his tour through appomattox, the governor headed to waverly virginia, where three people were killed in the storm- including a 2-year-old boy. we have live team coverage tonight as people try to get their lives back to normal. wfxr's kristen eskow is in danville- where god's pit crew is mobilizing to help get people much needed supplies. chief meteorologist john carroll has details on those appomattox county schools are closed again tomorrow as people tornado there had a massive damage path.but it wasn't the only one in our area.chief meteorologist john carroll is in the pinpoint weather center to show us the two twisters- john? .overnight...mostly cloudy. isolated rain and snow showers thisscattered flurries. lows in the mid 20s. northwestwinds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. chance ofprecipitation 20 percent..friday...mostly sunny. scattered flurries in the morning. highsin the upper 30s. northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts 40 mph. wind chill values as low as 9 above in the morning..friday night...pa

3 mark tonight -- a live look at the scene in appomattox.. about 36 hours after a tornado hit the area and left behind a trail of destruction. 3 mark tight tonight.. the outpouring of support for that tight-knit community is beyond belief. a tornado can cause destruction, death and despair.. but it can't destroy the heart of the people. courtney wheaton joins us live in appomattox.. with one woman's unique gift.court live u mark, donations of food and water have been pouring in all day..but what this woman is offering is unlike anything we've seen yet. 3 3 "here's another bath, a washer and dryer and this leads down to the basement."jessica pack is opening up her heart and her home. after a tornado ripped through her community she felt compelled to help. "i'm a registered nurse and all of us like to fix things and make things better." to do that, she came up with an idea to offer her home to a family water, but what better way to help than open your home"she put her house on the market two years ago and it has yet to sell. it's fully furnished.. and she says it's the ideal space for a

one at the appomattox community center, the other in neighboring pamplin. residents tell wfxr news they're happy for all of the work that the red cross volunteers are doing. "i am thankful and grateful for the shelter and for the people here. that are so good and so kind to help on another especially in a time like this." the red cross says it will keep the shelters open as will keep the cross says it the red cross says it will keep the shelters open as long as people need a place to stay. many people have been asking since the storm what about pets, since many shelters will not allow pets. officials in appomattox county have released information on options for pets. residents can contact the appomattox county animal shelter at the number you see on your screen 434-352-7922 for information regarding sheltering options. officials in appomattox county are asking residents to avoid damaged areas to minimize risks with structure wind gusts will continue to be a problem and residents should also be aware of loose limbs and downed power lines. a help line has bee

appomattox county. one is at this community center at 2-20 community lane in the town of appomattox. trucks were dropping off supplies this morning-and while power is still out in much of appomatox county - the shelter does have generator power and bathrooms. the other is at the pamplin fire department on pamplin road. 3 danner tight governor terry mcauliffe came to appomattox today to see the damage firsthand. this is a picture he tweeted out earlier as he saw the damage andersen is live in appomattox. with the governor's reaction to all the damage. annie satlive it was just sadness and shock. looking around, this tornado just demolished houses... turning them into just pieces like this (show wood from one of the houses)....take sot: "it was just amazing he length and width of this tornado that struck here. but as you go on you'll see structures totally gone and you'll see just gigantic areas of trees snapped in half, gigantic trees on the ground and you can clearly watch the wind as it obviously came here toward appomattox." annie the governor toured some of the houses that were har

morning we have team coverage of the storm damage in appomattox.. melissa lefevre is tracking the latest in the weather center. mona kosar abdi and tola adamson are live on now to give us an idea of what's going on there... first we're checking in with tola.... 3 that was tola 3 adamson reporting... now we are sending it over to melissa le fevre who has been in the weather center tracking the latest.. melissa? 3 3 remember the coat as you head out the door-temperatures are starting out in the 30s this morning. friday will be mostly sunny, breezy and cool. high temperatures reach the low to mid 40s. temperatures will be in the upper 30s north and west toward the mountains. winds won't be as strong as yesterday, but we could still weekend forecast looks 3 picture perfect for 3 any outdoor plans. 3 pattie appomattox wasn't the only place hit hard by the severe weather. in waverly, three people were killed, including a two year old. three people were killed there -- including a two year old. one man -- desmond gardner -- was in his car when it all came t

the phone. she is live in appomattox county tonight. you have seen a lot of damage. >> reporter: danner, right now i was able to get my facebook live. so viewer can tune in online to see the church i am looking at. the central baptist church just destroyed by the tornado that was here not too long ago. my photographer tony. you might be able to see them in the distance over there. the tomb stones are flattened to the ground in several parts. the damage is extensive but what i have heard, no one was injured. which is mir lack russ. crews are out trying to fix the damage and looks like a long way to go. >> danner: there were on the it was very backed up as far as the traffic was concerned. tell me a little bit why the traffic was backed up. the clearing trees. what was happening. >> reporter: right. when we were driving we hit traffic and we ran a little bit ahead of the traffic and with he saw downed power line -- a downed power line from a tree that had fallen on top of it. apparently that is the case everywhere. i am walking around righ

two of those people are still in the hospital tonight. >> nerve appomattox is accounted for according to the county administrator. >> she asked people to stay home and an vowed going out, especially in the most affected areas. tim saunders has been surveyingal the damage. tim, what are you seeing today? >> well, jean and chris, a lot of people here in appomattox county are still just trying to wrap their head around what happened yesterday and again the recovery process. i visited the promised land community today where cleaning up was a team effort. 123 years of history were destroyed in a matter of seconds wednesday afternoon as heavy winds tore apart central baptist church in southern appomattox county. devastating. you know, it's still not going >> a steeple that was perched atop the roof now sets in ruin about a quarter mile away. the church's brick facade was peeled away. stained glass windows are mangled and twisted. just part of your life is gone. all kind of memories here. they're gone. >> central baptist is an example of both the devastation in appomattox county and the comm

call the appomattox sheriff's office or with any information. their lives to heroin and prescription overdoses than traffic accidents. attorney general mark herring just discussed his plans to fight these frightening statistics at the general assembly and now the appomattox county sheriff is ramping up his efforts to deal with the problems in their own back yard. suri crowe sat down with barry letterman. suri. >> reporter: increase in drug overdose and death is weighing heavily on sheriff letterman so much so that they are asking for a dedicated drug officer to deal with the influx of drug cases in appomattox county. letterman said his current deputy forces can't keep up with the number of drug cases, so he is now asking the appomattox town council for money to hire an officer who would be solely dedicated to investigating the county drug cases. he says many of those involved in the drug game are also connected to other crimes like larceny and theft and he wants this officer to help stop that. letterman says not his intent to lock up everyone who

do take it to the appomattox county landfill. they've increased their hours to accommodate the need. the site is being staffed by the national guard and a regional hazmat national guard and staffed by the need. accommodate the hours to appomattox convience centers. trash collection or don't take it to from the tornado. debris left behind coming in about information tonight 3 3 danner pots tonight new information coming in about what to do with the debris left behind from the tornado. don't take it to trash collection or convience appomattox county landfill. they've increased their hours to accommodate the need. the site is being staffed by the national guard and a regional hazmat team. sot: vicky phelps, "make sure that you secure your loads of debri in your vehicle with proper restraints just to avoid losing items on the roadway which can create a hazard."danner pots if you want to donate to help with relief efforts, all donations need to go to gleaning for the world in concord or the lynchhburg fire station. financial donations

that reported tornado devastated the community of appomattox. marissa parra spoke with one survivor that shows just a small taste of the destruction many of his neighborhood has seen. 3 chris walker, tornado survivor: "i was at the back 3 door and i was looking and i actually seen it coming. i seen clouds that i've never ever seen in my life. i was talking to my mom's on the phone and i said mom i got to go!"and that's when chris walker sprinted to the bathtub. chris walker, tornado survivor: "this is where i got, right here in the tub. and i just rode it out."this is how he survived the that nearly killed him.chris walker, tornado survivor: "the only place i could think to go! yeah... and it just shook he said the tornado shook the house for twenty seconds... and then...... silence.his first thought when he finally crawled out of the tub.chris walker, tornado survivor: "wow... wow.... i don't have a home no more."the damage to his home is only now starting to sink in.chris walker, tornado survivor: "you can see where it took the roof off sanctua

right now the appomattox community center is the only shelter open in the county. several volunteers and the red cross are there to help families who are going through a tough time tonight. "these are the kinds of things that we prepare for and train for all year long." when the wind and rain comes down, the community gets up and help. "trees snapped in half, houses cut right down the middle. we saw a couple of houses, all that was left was the foundation. churches with a lot of the roof ripped off. " nathan wittkamp is the executive director of the american red cross. he says they have about a half dozen volunteers at the appomattox and another 30 on standby to help feed and comfort victims. wittkamp says they'll provide the basics such as pillows and blankets, but said people seeking help should try and come with important documents. "forms of identification, prescription medicines, their wallets, their purses, their cellphones. just those emergency items they might need to identify themselves to stay comfortable ad to buy anything they need." he said they've alr

this is the strongest tornado to ever hit appomattox county. according to the national weather service .. the e-f-3 tornado ... covered 13 miles ... killing one person in its path. state police say 78-year-old edward harris was thrown from his home. he was found last night in an area nearby. 7 others were hurt. now the community is pitching in ... to help those impacted. wsls ten's duke joins us now live from appomattox county. duke ... you spoke to the coach of the appomattox county high school football team. what is he saying about his players supporting the community? football coach doug smith is very proud of his players on the team giving back and helping the community aww work work he says there are about 25 members helping to clean the debris left behind from the storm. some have been out removing of the churches impacted by the storm. the coach is glad to see his players volunteering. doug smith/appomatto x county high school football coach - "it makes me feel great last night they knew all the stuff happened they got on the phone with e

the video sent in to us from a viewer from appomattox county. you can see here what appears to be a tornado coming togetherto be a tornado coming together. you can see the wind really start to pull that debris in as the funnel cloud really takes shape there, and then the tornado touches down. watch this just for a second longer until you see everything come together because it is almost all of a sudden -- there you go. coming down out of the sky. touching the ground there, and then you can really see the debris whipping up around this -- as it takes shape. let's go thrive marissa parra in appomattox county. 18 minutes down the road where we saw mona on central church road. what are you learning, marissa? >> danner, in the i have been here it has been really chaotic and all of us are trying to piece together what happened here. what we know -- turned the see this house showed you earlier was a little hard to see because it was nighttime. the own her left this trailer thanksgiving it would be safer to go into his car and it turns out -- that when t

more coming up at 5:30 about the recovery effort going on in appomattox county. reporting live in evergreen, jeff any which. >>> more residential candidates stop in the valley. political hotspot. >>> today the community page respects to a late senator who served his state and country for close to 50 years. state senator madison marie it happened in the virginia senate he served for 29 years, before that he spent 20 years in the army. he went from private to major and fought in europe korea and vietnam. as a senator, he was known for an advocate for higher education funding.'s funeral service is tomorrow at 10 am. >>> experts expect a larger turnout at the polls next week. there has been more interest in the primary season this year, debate polls have consistently been higher than normal over the last few months. while general elections attract he says tuesday will be one of the biggest times to speak out.>> by november we will be down to two candidates. most likely. right now is when we get to hear our voices heard and decide who they will be. a lot of people will

the storm.. wsls ten's duke carter is live in appomattox county. duke -- a lot of young people are helping and volunteering .. particularly the football team. from friends of students who attend appomattox county high school... to football players.. they're all coming together to show their support to those impacted by the storm. nats "aw work work" about 25 students on the appomattox county high school football team are lifting heavy materials.. nat pop ...materials like wood, bricks that were ripped away from homes hit appomattox county. nats "a complete shock heard about it last night," drew mann is helping to remove debris from his aunt's house. with the help of his teammates drew mann/appomatto x high school "that's even more better just to be with them, it's great to see how our football team comes together this is true family right here," family --- like mann's coach who volunteered. he says he's glad to see his players come together in a time of need. doug smith/appomatto x county high school football coach "it makes me feel great last night

the tornado. we have teachers and students from appomattox county high school. even players from the school's football team are out here to lend a helping hand. this tragedy has affected two of a look at what's left of ??'s 3 home. it has been reduced to rubble. but help has been coming in, from more ways than one. we caught up with dr. chris king the pastor of the evergreen baptist church who tells me donations have been pouring in."incue: we were just overwhelmed by...... outcue: over the next few days"mona liveu3 dr. king says at this time they do not need anymore perishable food donations. he says for those that would like the donate should look at their facebook ---that is where they will be posting what items are most needed. mona kosar abdi. 3 3 3 noreen plasma that church itself may not be able to fit more right at this moment but the area is still in need of your help. gleaning for the world is set up right now at the sam's club in lynchburg, collecting items for the victims today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. they'll also have a collection site

and we do our weather cast, the computer will be working but to you.>>> meanwhile, according to the appomattox sheriff's office, the storm has already caused an injury in the evergreen area which was heavily damaged by downed trees. 500 people in danville without power. half of the outage is the -- is due to one downed tree. power lines are also down along route 58 in chatham. the rest of the power outages are scattered. appalachian power reporting widespread outages and glenn counties, floyd. >>> lussier road is currently under a few inches of water after a back creek flooded with today's rain. the road is not open to traffic as you might imagine at this time. >>> flooding is exactly what a swiftwater rescue team and they stay on standby with gear in case their services are needed. and pay close attention to potential flooding areas. >> reporter: -- >> right now, we are in a monitoring mode. we will bring in additional personnel. right now, we are staffing for people and we bring in for additional people to respond with us. >> the rescue team also received a new but that has not yet been used

town of appomattox. the other is at the pamplin fire department. >>> the power of the storm left several people injured. told us before we went on the air tonight. 7 people were hurt. 5 went to farmville. 2 to lynchburg general. 3 people treated and released. the 3 in farmville are listed as critical. you can catch all our coverage on our website wset.com. we are updating our abc 13 facebook page as well. when we come back staying on top courtney wheaton was there as flickinger, and dennis carter. award winning coverage you can count on. ; anchor: when the severe weather hit the school day was winding down in appomattox. courtney wheaton was there. she is live in the newsroom with that. ; reporter: many say they lost power and forced to go to the basement to take cover. children who weren't picked up by family members early were sent to a central location for safety. no child was left behind at school. ; i certainly don't want to see anyone harmed in any way shape or form. ; reporter: bus drivers became hero

natural debris may be hauled to the appomattox county landfill. they are extending their hours right now. the national guard and regional hazmat personnel will be on-site to separate hazardous materials. they also say to make sure when you are moving the debris that it's secure in your car so it doesn't go flying onto the highway. 3 mark tight they may have joined the emergency response group thinking they'd help with disaster relief all over the world. but right now.. a group of students from liberty university are getting the chance to help those in their own backyard. katie brooke is live in appomattox county after meeting up with them. katie liveu mark, 23 students spent the day here helping wherever needed -- loading belongings in uhauls, tacking tarps on roofs, and just being there for those they're here as 3 a part of lu send now, the university's emergency response team. students say it's crazy to think that back on campus, everything is fine. and they're just shocked to see the disaster around them here. one team from lu send now just got

they will also collect things at the walmart in appomattox on saturday as well. they're looking for non perishable food items, personal care items, cleaning supplies, paper products, and pet supplies. if you're looking to donate, we have all of the information you need to help out on our website, w- s-e-t dot com. 3 3 danner this is a live look over lynchburg tonight. let's go to chief meteorologist george flickinger -- for more on when those winds are going to die 3 danner pots at least 3 people are dead in waverly. it's another area hard hit by the tornado. state police tell us a 2-year-old child and two men, ages 50 and 26, were killed in the town of waverly during the storm. police say the toddler's 30-year-old mother also was in the trailer struck by the tornado. she is in the hospital. governor mcauliffe met privately with several relatives of the victims. the national weather service rated that tornado as an ef-1, with wind speeds of 100 to 110 miles per hour. its path was 9 miles long and 300 yards wide.5714 we hear tornado tornado tornado. and we looked.

the storm. he made stops in appomattox county, waverly, and essex count toy look at the damage. wdbj 7's shayne dwyer is live in appomattox tonight. shayne, what did the governor say about the damage there? >> jean, the theme of his comments today was that virginia will not back down in the face of this destruction in the storm and that the commonwealth will be there to provide any support you can to the residence who are so badly hurting in this area and in other areas across virginia. the big winner arrived here just before noon by helicopter. he met with first responders and victims at the evergreen baptist church, which is the command post for this year. evergreen is the epicenter of damage in appomattox county. people here have lost everything is only one death from our area. the governor says that's thanks to advanced planning, a quick response, and a stroke of luck. >> devastation here when we came in by helicopter, you can see it's about 12 to 15 miles long, this tornado. very wide. by the grace of god, this is not happening in the middle of the night. i'm thinking if tha

earlier we were in the town of appomattox. now on 460 headed east. and if you look up you can see that dark clouds are hovering over this area back in the town of appomattox. there were clear skies, no clouds, and it is a lot warmer our car temperature is reading 63 degrees. now earlier -- we actually made a u-turn and headed west back to the town. now we are headed east to show you after a certain point, you you are just not moving on 460. traffic is backed up, and v dot tweeted earlier the reason the traffic is backed up. we are approaching it in a little bit. hopefully you can see ahead of us. the reason the traffic is backed up downed trees and debris blocking the road. now if you look ahead in the distance, both sides of 460 are almost at a standstill. right now traffic is moving very slowly. some cars rolled over to a gas station nearby that we are about to approach, and just kind of waiting it out, because right now the crews need to clear the streets. we have seen numerous state police cars flying down here with their sirens on you can see the

the governor is touring that care this afternoon. a spokesperson for appomattox county is asking everyone who does not live in evergreen and the other impacted areas to stay out, because there are a lot of downed power lines and debris that could put people in danger. since power is still out in many parts of the county, the spokesperson is also asking people and reminding them not to eat perishable foods that might have been in their refrigerators or freezers for the last day or so, because that food could now be bad. he want we want to extend deepest condolences and we will work together to the up you coming weeks to support one another, keep each other safe, and overcome the challenges that this natural event has brought the county is maintaining shelters for people this afternoon at the appomattox community center and also at the pamplin fire department. as for electricity, a lot of people in appomattox county are still without power and the central georgia cooperative says they and dominion virginia pow refer having a lot of trouble getting power restored be

the storms swept through appomattox county in the evergreen community, killing one man and injuring seven others.right now, there are reports that a tornado touched down in evergreen. official confirmation would come from a national weather service survey team. no word yet on appomattox county. here's what it looked like on wednesday evening along route 460 in appomattox county.the high winds damaged dozens of homes-- some are missing their roof--others are missing walls as rescue crews from across the region raced to the scene, our crews saw neighbors pitching in, helping families search through damaged homes. one woman says she ran outside, held onto a big tree in a ditch, as the storm blew her mobile home away. "things were hitting me in my back. i felt a tree or limb hit me in my head. i guess it was it may have been part of the house. i didn't see it till i was holding on for dear life.""i could see the dirt and debris just circling and funneling and i knew when i saw the debris flying that it was over."i put her in the bathroom in the shower and i went in there on the floor in be sh

shawne dunham manages the appomattox county animal shelter. she says over the last two days they've taken in more than a dozen animals and handed out food to pet owners. dunham says support from the community has helped. "we've received horse feed, horse hay. bottled water, we have it stacked and lined in the hallways. we received so much water. the community just overwhelmed us in a wonderful way." dunham says you should call the shelter if you find a stray animal, and never leave it unattended or chained outside the building. "there are bears in the area. there are coyote in the area and if that were to come upon a beagle then the beagle would stand no chance because they're tied to the animals tied to the door of the shelter." owners have 5 days to claim a stray dog or cat that doesn't have a collar with identification. they have 10 days to claim one that does. dunham says pictures of missing animals the shelter is receiving are being posted on its facebook page. "i've never seen devastation from a tornado in person so that was overwhelming

the appomattox community center and the pamplin fire department. there is no timeline when this will all be cleaned up but done. live in appomattox, noell saunders wdbj7. and we have information about you can help victims in appomattox on our website. just click on the link on our must see 7 bar on wdbj7.com. himi know you know i gene get it says news of of this we get some cleanup underway i dictated noel him i say it is cold out there is other yesterday now wind is howling we got windchill that's going on to soaks the folks are trying to to you would through the debris and bindings or have a tough time it's very interesting situation out there for sure cold still right now thirty six and roanoke which factor the when it feels even colder than that i thirty seven now in lynchburg i next-door there in evergreen a forty three degrees and danville no one thing immediately at the way to ignite you know twenty to thirty mile-per-hour gusts we been seeing today it feels a lot colder than it actually is about a twenty four mile-per-hour gusts rona blacksb

today, god's pit crew's tractor trailers full of supplies are heading out all over the state to help storm victims in appomattox. early this morning a team in danville left for tappahannock. crew members say the damage is worse there - than in appomattox. around 10 this morning a tractor trailer full of water, gatorade and blessing buckets left for appomattox and should be there soon. volunteers say after responding to natural disasters all over the nation, it's still the same hurt but you just never think it will happen in your backyard. james hodge, volunteer. "you know when you are helping people get pictures of their family out of the debris, it's just a wonderful feeling. " teams will be in tappahannock for three to four days. in appomattox, they will be staying overnight in a local church and will be back monday. crew members say appomattox is like home to them and they hope be back to spend time rebuilding homes. students from liberty university are among the volunteers providing wdbj7's tim saunders is live in evergreen, where the l-u students are helping with clean up efforts. kimberly, these students

due to the severe weather in central virginia.. appomattox county schools are closed today. there are a number of homes and businesses still in the dark since the storm rolled through. right now in appomattox county, there without power. appalachian power also reporting hundreds of outages mainly across the region. here's a live look at that outage map: around 4-hundred people are in the dark this morning in roanoke county. 2-hundred in franklin county. high numbers in patrick county, where 7-hundred people are without power right now. here on good day virginia. a community shelter has been set up in appomattox county for any residents who are without a place to stay. wfxr's paris holmes has more on how many people have been there throughout the night and what's next. i spoke to a couple volunteers here at the appomattox community center and they say there were about 10 victims here earlier sleeping on the cots behind me. they left because they found somewhere else to stay. but they have about 15 cots here with pillows and warm blankets for any of the victims affected by this

the church was insured. appomattox leaders are encouraging people to stay out of areas impacted by the tornado. cross pic on fb amid all that devasation in appomattox county, these three crosses still stand. since we posted this on our wdbj7 facebook page this morning, it has more than 56-hundred shares. appomattox county has set up a help line for anyone in the area that needs assistance after yesterday's tornado. that number is in patrick county, a e-f 1 tornado hit the ararat community, destroying trees and homes. today, crews continued to clean up along ararat highway. vdot and the national guard were called in to help. patrick county board of supervisors chairman is thanking the emts and fire and rescue teams who responded so fast after the storm and helped get people to safety. roger hayden, chairman, patrick co board of supervisors, "it really bothers me to see this place damaged and the agony of the people but luckily no one was injuried or killed in this episode so, ya know that was a blessing." law enforcemen

the civil war ended in 1855. it ended at appomattox. the last confederate forces hundred 50 years ago today have yet to surrender. the shenandoah will hold down the last like in 1865. what i want to do, the truism is that the war ended at appomattox, april 9, 1865 when robert e lee surrendered to u.s. grant. that's a good starting point. what i want to do is not focus on appomattox so much, although we will talk about it. but i want to pull the lens back and look at appomattox in context. the end of the war, any war, not just the civil war, but we are passing several anniversaries of the end of the war of 1812, the end of american involvement in vietnam with the fall of saigon, the end of the second world war, both in may of this year and in august, coming up in just a few weeks. the end of the war, any war, is the beginning of the peace. how that ending goes can reverberate for a long time. richmond, for four years, has had a target on its back. it has been a primary, or a secondary, objective of u.s. forces in the eastern theater since

its part to help those dealing with the damage in appomattox. we were there as crews stopped at the walmart to gather supplies. walmart gave them water, flashlights, snacks, and ice to hand out to those impacted. gleaning took along blankets, pillows, and heat and eat meals.. shelters.rev. ron davidson, gleaning for the world"i was with a family this afternoon when they found out their home place had been destroyed. this is the kind of damage we work with and we're kind of used to it, but when it's in our own home area it hurts a lots worse."mark right now -- gleaning says it has enough supplies, but could use monetary donations. 3 3 pattie tight also -- state police tell us.. there are 2 shelters set up for families in appomattox county. one is at the community center at 2-20 community lane in the town of appomattox. the other is at the pamplin fire department. 3 pattie tight this morning -- a number of families are picking up the pieces. many of them lost so much in a matter of minutes. but mona kosar abdi spoke with a man who lost nearly every

the upper 40s. dry air across virginia. amherst, 47. buckingham county, 48. appomattox 49. brookneal upper 40s. and blacksburg 42, franklin county, 50s. and roanoke, 46. and your 7-day forecast. in the case week we'll be tracking for you a probable snow more late monday night-tuesday. and this does not look like a major winter storm. right now we're thinking 1/2-1 inch totals. >> danner: there have been 18,000 foodborne illnesses but in >> danner: the chipotle e.coli outbreak is over, but it will not be the last. thousands of americans contract foodborne illnesses so when people get sick, who makes the call to investigate? it comes down to a national database. >> reporter: in october it was chipotle. in august it was cilantro from mexico. and then apples in california. >> peanut butter and a cracker. how harmful could that be? >> reporter: peter's son, jake, got salmonella from peanut butter. >> we remove the d.m.a. >> reporter: john fontana works the laboratory that identified the e.coli that they identify the strain of the disease and upload it to a database to see if it matches any others. >>

he'll tour the hardest hit areas tomorrow. that includes appomattox county. extensive damage has closed down people without homes. i've been with the sherriff office 32 years. this is the worst i've ever seen our very own brie jackson is live tonight in appomattox county. brie -- we are in evergreen where it's likely a tornado hit. we won't know for sure until tomorrow. what we do know is that severe weather caused whatanu are saying is the worst damage here's a look at the destruction after a likely tornado ripped through appomattox. the central baptist church, once a community gathering place, is now destroyed. its signature steeple blown nearly 200 feet away. ralph cheatham / appomattox 12:24:15 it's upsetting there is a lot of damage that happened to people i know reports are in of nearly 45 homes damaged, this one a total loss. police say the homeowner got out safely but their belongings are ruined. brie standup we are getting a closer look at the damage that this storm has left behind. i'm standing in what was once someone kitchen. the shelves have been

today the national guard came in to assist those in needs. rachel lucas has been in appomattox all day and joins us now. >> there is still a lot of damage and a lot of down trees and debris scattered across the field. i've been here since early yesterday morning and i can tell you in that amount of time there is a noticeable difference. a lot of work has been done and a lot of progress is being made even if there's still is a long way to go. that could never been done without the national guard. we have a lot of great volunteer groups that a been for the storm victims but there is been a lot of heavy lifting that still needed to be done. says the governor declared a state of emergency that has allowed the national guard to be activated and send here to help with the cleanup. i spoke with soldiers as they help areas homeowners to work that they never would've been able to do on their own. i definitely think it has lifted the spirits to those who of definitely needed that help. >> the young lady over here was grateful to have her house clear . that's why i joined, to help people.

. >> chief meteorologist jeff haniewich made the trip to appomattox county to see the effects firsthand . jeff, you track the store for us on wednesday from the station. tonight your monitoring the impact and how this community is bouncing back. >> the mile here, there is a lot of sadness but there is a lot of hope as well. there is a lot of confidence in this rebuild and a lot of gratitude to the man upstairs because the timing of this, if there's a positive it was a timing because a lot of these folks were not home at the time that this tornado graham through evergreen. in addition to that the kids weren't school. kids but don't kid yourself there's a lot of that is going on. >> it devastates you. you think you don't have anything. is taken everything you have for you do have your life. and a lot of people are pulling together and helping those in so many words. i appreciate you and i thank god for you. >> lots of people helping. we got here around 2:00 o'clock in the work hundreds, hundreds of people would chainsaws and hundreds of people that are just for support. as i said earlier

the chatham area. >> also reporting about 500 outages right now. appomattox county has seen some of the worst damaged tonight.d1s`0 colter, you were inside when that storm hit and you have been assessing the conditions in appomattox since arriving there. >> reporter: i did just right here a few minutes to go along for 60. pieces of debris like this, this looks like a piece of wood that maybe came from a house. i will step out and zoom in. you can kind of get a better idea of what is going on. i haven't had a chance to talk to anybody or see anything. but clearly, you can see the trees down there and traffic is backed up in both directions east and west on for 60. you can see it there. people are getting out of their cars and walking around. looking at the damage themselves. this is something i have been singing ever since i left appomattox coming to the evergreen area. as i can to the left, i will go ahead and zoom out and you can see some trees that have $ot: uprooted. pieces of what i would guess from a hold or rough. this is all up and down for 60 -- 460.

many students remain at the appomattox primary school, as the school district is working to contact parents. buses were cancelled for the students' safety as roads became impassable due the in the process of setting available resources. the avoid traveling in and essex county/town of tapphannock: beginning shortly after 8:30 p.m. severe storm damage in injuries have been reported within the area. there are no reported at the height of the storm, dominion virginia power reported more than 27-thousand outages in hampton roads and 80-thousand across the state. crews have been working to get customers' power back on. that number is down to about 2-thousand in hampton roads right now. dominion says most of the outages are in western hampton roads and the richmond area. much of virginia was affected by the storm. coming up, we'll show you more incredible damage from across the commonwealth. flooding was also a big issue. see how high water impacted people trying to get home during yesterday's commute. just a reminder to download our free wavy weather app. if you already have it, you know it is a

the radar. and appomattox, a possible tornado touched down. we won't know for sure until tomorrow when the weather service actually send a survey seen out there. but for all of us, it actually looks like a tornado to us. blares power lines down. and even some power outages. into the 30s and 40s for an overnight low. snow showers will be around in west virginia. throughout the day on thursday, some snow showers. i tomorrow evening, we think that the snow showers will say west virginia. on friday, i think we will all be mostly sunny. temperatures 51. 67 in danville. it's very warm out there. the warmth and humidity allowing for this atmosphere. >> we got a lot of wind energy above the surface and that is what we're going to tap into tonight. we have a wind advisory in effect for everyone across the blue ridge and points to the west. especially higher elevations. looking toward 11 o'clock tonight, but as we have wind gusts on the order of 30 or 40 miles an hour. the main upper portion of the system slides through and you can see here overnight ton

were cancelled for the appomattox county downed trees, and damaged tapphannock: beginning damaged and numerous (we are not confirming definite number injuries at this time.) you are helping us to tell the story of storm by sending your pictures to report- it-at-wavy-dot-com. vb kings grant exxon.jpg we've been reporting a lot of the damage further west, but take a look at this picture from virginia beach. donna posted this to our facebook page of an exxon station in kings grant. you can see the canopy toppled over on its side. vb gas station damage.jpg and here's another image heather sent to us. we think this is the same gas station, just before the canopy fell. you can see one of the collumns is leaning over. "suff hail photo.jpg" and earlier you saw and heard the hail that fell in suffolk. now check out this close up shot of what actually fell. bernard sent this picture into us. this jagged piece of hail is about the size of a half-dollar. and apart from the hail and wind damage, people are also cleaning up from all the flooding

one of the hardest hit areas was appomattox county... where an ef-3 tornado was on the ground for thirteen miles. it killed one person... and damaged more than one hundred homes. closings and delays... appomattox county schools are closed. pocahontas and greenbrier county west virginia are operating on a delayed schedule. for more on what to expect lets check in with storm team ten meteorologist kristina montuori.. kristina? today will start windy. the wind will gradually weaken through this evening. temperatures will top out in the lower 40s. tonight will be mostly clear with lows in the upper 20s saturday will be mostly sunny with highs in the upper 40s. sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in the upper 50s and lower 60s. monday looks partly to mostly cloudy with a few showers in our westernmost counties. temperatures will top out in the lower 60s tuesday will start with sunshine, and then end with more cloud- cover. a few late-day showers are possible. scattered rain showers are possible on wednesday with highs in the lower to middle

leaders at the appomattox county animal shelter say they've taken in more than a dozen animals in the past 2 days, including a horse. if you have a missing pet or seeking shelter for appomattox county animal shelter. that number is (434) 352-7922. many of you want to know how you can help the tornado victims. go to our website and click on the helping appomattox link in the must see 7 section. there you'll find information on how to make a donation. storms and severe weather can bring devastating damage and headaches for home owners. and sometimes, people take advantage of that vulnerability. wdbj7 anchor nadia singh has some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim. jean, we saw terrible tornado damage over the last couple of days in appomattox county and patrick county. just a couple weeks ago we dealt with fallen trees and other damage from winter weather. now is when people claiming to be in the business of helping homeowners could look to cash in. "it's a time when folks that maybe licenses in place may knock on your door and offer to take care of the problems that you have. and if