1985 Election Day Flood in Roanoke

the Virginia Museum of Transportation (now the site of Wasena Park) during the 1985 flood
Source: City of Roanoke Stormwater Utility, The Flood of '85

The record flood of the Roanoke River upstream of the Blue Ridge occurred in 1985. Rainfall from Hurricane Juan saturated the soil over several days, and then on November 4 another unnamed storm dropped 6.6 inches of rain on Roanoke. The Roanoke River flow climbed 160 times beyond normal, and the river channel could not accommodate the rapid influx. The water level rose up 19 feet in 12 hour, spilling over the riverbanks and backing up into downtown Roanoke within the channels of Trout Creek and Lick Creek.

In the 1985 flood, 62 people (three in Roanoke) died in Southwest Virginia and West Virginia.¹

On November 4th, Roanoke airport recorded 4.25 inches of rain in just three hours. Already saturated soil from previous rain events allowed for water to accumulate quickly, spilling into rivers and streams. In just one hour, the Roanoke River spiked seven feet. It wasn't long before the Roanoke River reached an all-time record high crest of 23.55 feet, over 13 feet above flood stage. Market Square in downtown Roanoke was about four feet underwater.

Market Square in downtown Roanoke was underwater
Source: City of Roanoke Stormwater Utility, The Flood of '85

November 4 was election day; that provided the name for the flood. Gerry Baliles defeated Wyatt Durrette to win election as governor. Democratic candidate Douglas Wilder won the Lieuenant Governor seat, becoming the first black to win a statewide election in Virginia. Mary Sue Terry won the race for Attoney General, becoming the first woman to win a statewide race.

The three Democratic Party candidates won all three statewide seats largely based on greater success at getting out the vote. Turnout was surprisingly low across the state, but the Election Day weather was not the reason for the Republican defeats. As noted by Larry Sabato, the premier political analyst at the time:²

...floods and heavy rain in some parts of Virginia on election day contributed to the low turnout. Three congressional districts - the Roanoke-area Sixth, the Southwest Ninth, and the Piedmont Seventh - were particularly hard hit, and their turnouts ranked among the lowest in the state. Yet Northern Virginia's two congressional districts (the Eighth and the Tenth) recorded dropoffs nearly equal to the devastated areas, despite being relatively unaffected by the bad weather.,/dd>

Floods

Rivers of Virginia

Roanoke

Source: RVTV, City of Roanoke Stormwater: Remembering the Flood of 85

Victory Stadium (at modern River's Edge Park) survived the 1985 flood, but after a 2004 flood the Roanoke city council had it demolished
Source: City of Roanoke Stormwater Utility, The Flood of '85

Links

• City of Roanoke
• Roanoke Remembers

Source: WDBJ, The Flood of '85 - Roanoke Virginia

Source: WSLS, Flood of '85 - 30 Years Later

References