PULASKI COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – Homes, refrigerators, and potentially hazardous materials are all sitting in Claytor Lake.
“Jet skis, docks and RVs, it’s a little bit of everything,” said Gene Holt, a Pulaski County resident.
Broderick Havens, the state park manager, says the lake is filled with about a 10-acre field of debris after effects of Hurricane Helene blew through the area.
Crews are working on a hazardous material recovery operation, pulling propane tanks and fuel containers out of the water.
“You don’t know what condition the vessels are in, after they’ve been in through the flood waters, being beamed and banged around with all the different debris in the lake. We want to empty those out and in a safe manner. That way you can recycle the tanks at a later date,” said Havens.
On top of searching for possible hazardous materials, the U.S Coast Guard, Department of Wildlife and Friends of Claytor Lake are helping homeowners find their property.
Haven says due to the large cleanup efforts and amount of property missing, homeowners should be patient and not go out looking for their things right now.
“We are trying to coordinate where everything has landed and try to stay off the water until we can get everything kind of pushed back and make it a little bit more safe,” said Havens.
Around 45 homes were damaged in Pulaski County, especially in the Allisonia area.
Officials say while the hazmat operation will continue for several days, the overall cleanup process for the lake will likely last months.
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