PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The remnants of Ian packed a punch in Portsmouth on Friday.
The heavy rain and extreme winds did not let up for much of the day.
The Elizabeth River looked more like an ocean. Powerful wind gusts created choppy waves that were splashing over the seawall. A raft was rocking in the river with lots of debris washing up.
Downtown Portsmouth was virtually a ghost town.
On Washington Street in Olde Towne, a homeowner’s front lawn was underwater by at least a couple of inches.
A big chunk of the road flooded. Several drivers were smart and turned around because they couldn’t tell how deep the water was. A viewer sent the following photo of heavy flooding between Waverly Street and North Street in Olde Towne Portsmouth.
By 6:00 p.m., some of the water on Washington Street had receded.
One guy grabbed some last-minute groceries and was wading through ankle-deep rainwater in the afternoon downtown.
Rita Hendrickson works in Portsmouth and moved to Virginia Beach from southeast Alabama about three years ago.
She said she’s used to these storms.
“We have a lot of hurricanes, tornadoes, that kind of thing, so it’s not that bad,” Hendrickson said. “I’m sure it’s going to get worse but it’s not that bad yet.”
Hendrickson, however, said she plans on staying indoors for the rest of the night just in case the weather gets worse.
“Absolutely staying inside, not going out,” she said. “Like I said, I may be used to the weather but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be out in it. I’m not crazy.”
Hendrickson said her roommates were out earlier in the day picking up bread, eggs, and other essentials at the grocery store. They all plan on hunkering down until the wild weather passes.
Related: Portsmouth opens parking garages to residents due to potential impacts from Ian
