15 years ago: Hurricane Gaston struck Virginia

By Colleen Kelleher
August 26, 2019 | 11:46 AM

Vehicles sit on a pile in the wrong direction on a one-way street Tuesday, Aug 31, 2004, in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Va. About 20 blocks of downtown Richmond were condemned after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston battered central Virginia with torrential rain Monday, causing heavy flooding that sent cars floating down streets and trapped people in buildings.

A car sits on its roof near a damaged building in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 31 2004. About 20 blocks of downtown Richmond were condemned after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston battered central Virginia with torrential rain Monday, causing heavy flooding that sent cars floating down streets and trapped people in buildings.

Carlye Herring, right, and Andrea Hughes walk throught the mud in the Shockoe Bottom areA of Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 31 2004. The two were trapped all night in the restaurant where they work. About 20 blocks of downtown Richmond were condemned after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston battered central Virginia with torrential rain Monday, causing heavy flooding that sent cars floating down streets and trapped people in buildings.

Joe and Tracey Gendron retrieve personal belongings from their automobile after it was washed away in Monday's flooding caused by Tropical Storm Gaston in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 31 2004. In the hard-hit Shockoe Bottom district, dozens of cars were tossed about in the streets, which were left caked with mud and strewn with bricks and other debris.

Medical College of Virginia student Brian Suddarth talks with his insurance company Tuesday, Aug. 31 2004, as he surveys the damage to his automobile after it was washed away in a mudslide caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Gaston in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Va. Suddarth spent the night at the hospital while his car was washed several hundred feet from where he parked it Monday.

Damaged vehicles sit in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 31 2004. About 20 blocks of downtown Richmond were condemned after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston battered central Virginia with torrential rain Monday, causing heavy flooding that sent cars floating down streets and trapped people in buildings.

Damaged vehicles are seen in a parking lot in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004, after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston led to widespread flooding.

Thea Duskin, left, and Eric Eaton, right, sit with friend Ron Stradone, center, after they removed personal items from their flooded appartment in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 31 2004. Duskin and Eaton were driven out of their first floor apartment Monday night by the rising floodwaters caused by Tropical Storm Gaston on Monday.

Virginia Gov. Mark Warrner walks past a pile of cars as he surveys the damage from Tropical Storm Gaston in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Va., Tuesday Aug. 31, 2004. The cars were piled up by the rushing floodwaters. About 20 blocks of downtown Richmond were condemned after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston battered central Virginia with torrential rain Monday, causing heavy flooding that sent cars floating down streets and trapped people in buildings.

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Fifteen years ago, Hurricane Gaston made landfall in South Carolina. Initially, it was a tropical storm, but the National Weather Service upgraded Gaston to a hurricane with maximum winds of 75 mph. At least five people died in Virginia.

Richmond was particularly hit hard, with high waters shutting down parts of Interstate 95 shut down and floodwaters reach to 10 feet just blocks from the state capitol.

What should be in your emergency kit

By WTOP Staff
September 1, 2021 | 4:00 AM

Every home should have an emergency kit on hand for when storms and power outages occur. WTOP recommends you print it out this list ahead foul weather and power outages. Supplies to have on hand:

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