Photo By Yvette Stafford : Traffic is backed up in both directions along Route 151 mid afternoon Saturday after a vehicle accident on Route 151 near Bland Wade Road in Nelson County, Virginia. October 17, 2020
Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
An accident with what’s believed to be at least one injury has caused a major backup of traffic along Route 151 in Nelson County. The accident happened in the general vicinity of Bland Wade Road and Route 151.
We have reports of traffic being back up for over a mile in each direction.
Crews are working to clear the scene and traffic, at least southbound, is slowly moving as of 3:15 PM, northbound was at a standstill from the same report from Yvette Stafford who is in the backup.
Via NWS : The areas highlighted in light blue are under a frost advisory during the late overnight hours Saturday into mid-morning Sunday. Click on map above for the absolute latest updates.
FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING
URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
225 PM EDT Sat Oct 17 2020
Washington-Frederick MD-Carroll-Augusta-Rockingham-Shenandoah-
Frederick VA-Page-Warren-Clarke-Nelson-Albemarle-Greene-Madison-
Rappahannock-Orange-Culpeper-Spotsylvania-Northern Fauquier-
Southern Fauquier-Western Loudoun-Northern Virginia Blue Ridge-
Central Virginia Blue Ridge-Morgan-Berkeley-Jefferson-Hardy-
Including the cities of Hagerstown, Frederick, Ballenger Creek,
Eldersburg, Westminster, Staunton, Waynesboro, Stuarts Draft,
Harrisonburg, Strasburg, Woodstock, Mount Jackson, New Market,
Winchester, Luray, Shenandoah, Stanley, Front Royal, Berryville,
Lovingston, Charlottesville, Stanardsville, Madison, Washington,
Orange, Gordonsville, Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Warrenton,
Turnbull, Purcellville, Big Meadows, Wintergreen, Paw Paw,
Martinsburg, Charles Town, Shepherdstown, and Moorefield
225 PM EDT Sat Oct 17 2020
…FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING…
* WHAT…Temperatures around 33 to 36 degrees will result in areas
of frost.
* WHERE…Portions of northern and central Maryland, northern and
central Virginia, and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.
* WHEN…From 2 AM to 10 AM EDT Sunday.
* IMPACTS…Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left
uncovered.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Blacksburg VA
159 PM EDT Sat Oct 17 2020
Surry-Stokes-Rockingham-Caswell-Wilkes-Yadkin-Rockbridge-Patrick-
Franklin-Bedford-Amherst-Henry-Pittsylvania-Campbell-Appomattox-
Buckingham-Halifax-Charlotte-
Including the cities of Dobson, Danbury, Eden, Yanceyville,
Wilkesboro, Yadkinville, Lexington, Buena Vista, Stuart,
Rocky Mount, Bedford, Amherst, Martinsville, Danville, Lynchburg,
Appomattox, South Boston, and Keysville
159 PM EDT Sat Oct 17 2020
…FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM EDT SUNDAY…
* WHAT…Temperatures as low as 36 will result in frost
formation.
* WHERE…Portions of central, south central, southwest and west
central Virginia and north central and northwest North
Carolina.
* WHEN…From 2 AM to 9 AM EDT Sunday.
* IMPACTS…Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if
left uncovered.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
Photo from Twitter @iamIanMunro (Ian Munro – Daily News-Record) Fire crews battle a blaze after a large explosion in Harrisonburg, Virginia on Saturday morning – October 17, 2020
Harrisonburg
Rockingham County, Virginia
Emergency crews are on the scene of major explosion this morning in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
The explosion was behind the Wendy’s on South Main in Harrisonburg. Unclear which buildings are involved. Ian Munro is on the scene. #JMUhttps://t.co/Xt5L8VvUxW
Praying for the victims of the explosion in Harrisonburg this morning. I have friends that work in that and near that building and I really hope they weren't there when the explosion happened. https://t.co/qSd3VfUFO0
I’ve been told by Police this looks like the result of an explosion in the small shopping center that included a barber shop, vape store and Hometown Music, as well as an international grocery and Blue Sprocket. pic.twitter.com/HD6JxjdcIB
Via NWS : The light blue highlighted areas are under a frost advisory from 2AM until 10 AM Saturday – October 17, 2020 (click on image above for absolute latest updates)
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
239 PM EDT Fri Oct 16 2020
Washington-Warren-Clarke-Northern Virginia Blue Ridge-
Central Virginia Blue Ridge-Berkeley-Jefferson-
Including the cities of Hagerstown, Front Royal, Berryville,
Big Meadows, Wintergreen, Martinsburg, Charles Town,
and Shepherdstown
239 PM EDT Fri Oct 16 2020
...FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 10 AM EDT SATURDAY...
* WHAT...Temperatures around 33 to 36 degrees will result in areas
of frost.
* WHERE...In Maryland, Washington County. In Virginia, Warren
and Clarke Counties, and Northern Virginia Blue Ridge and
Central Virginia Blue Ridge. In West Virginia, Berkeley and
Jefferson Counties.
* WHEN...From 2 AM to 10 AM EDT Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if
left uncovered.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
239 PM EDT Fri Oct 16 2020
Augusta-Rockingham-Shenandoah-Frederick VA-Page-Hampshire-Morgan-
Hardy-
Including the cities of Staunton, Waynesboro, Stuarts Draft,
Harrisonburg, Strasburg, Woodstock, Mount Jackson, New Market,
Winchester, Luray, Shenandoah, Stanley, Romney, Paw Paw,
and Moorefield
239 PM EDT Fri Oct 16 2020
...FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 10 AM EDT SATURDAY...
* WHAT...Temperatures around 33 to 36 degrees will result in areas
of frost.
* WHERE...In Virginia, Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah,
Frederick VA and Page Counties. In West Virginia, Hampshire,
Morgan and Hardy Counties.
* WHEN...From 2 AM to 10 AM EDT Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if
left uncovered.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
“At 12:19 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 6), Virginia State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash in Nelson County. A 2009 Ford Focus was traveling in the right lane on Route 29 near Drumheller Orchard Lane, when a 2018 Tao Tao moped swerved from the left lane into the right lane, striking the Ford.
The driver of the moped, Earl D. Manning, 71, of Lovingston, Va., died at the scene. He was wearing a helmet.
This is all the information we have at this time. The crash remains under investigation.
Shelby Crouch
Public Relations Coordinator
Virginia State Police”
Photo Courtesy of Betsy Smith : Ben Smith (left, originally of Roseland, Virginia) poses for a picture with his helicopter pilot saviors, Allen and Patty Russell. Ben became stranded from his family after hurricane Teddy in NC. Russell and his wife picked Ben up by helicopter and flew him to Ocracoke Island. Ben (a culinary graduate and professional) fixed a huge chef’s style meal for them as a way of saying thanks! Tuesday – September 23, 2020
Ocracoke Island, NC
By Tommy Stafford
Betsy and Stuart Smith of Roseland decided it was time to get the family together for a vacation in North Carolina. “Well, because of Covid and not really being able to go out, we decided to rent a house on Ocracoke with all of our family in September but due to work obligations Ben (the Smith’s son who lives in Norfolk) could not get off until Sunday at 3,” Betsy told me Wednesday morning in a chat session from the island.
Timing was becoming an issue for Ben. His Nelson County family had already been on the island since Saturday. Little did they know Hurricane Teddy’s winds and tides made a tremendous mess of Ocracoke’s Highway 12.
Above, Ben’s aerial video of the demolished Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island, NC.
“Then all this weird weather started causing high tides, high wind. Ocracoke officials told us they have never had this much damage with no rain. So highway 12 between Pea Island and Hatteras kept flooding and washing out as did the section of the area between Ocracoke ferry terminal and the Pony Pen on highway 12 leading from the ferry into Ocracoke village,” Betsy continued.
Photo By Ben Smith : An aerial shot above Ocracoke Island, NC days after Hurricane Teddy moved through. Taken Tuesday – September 22, 2020
The North Carolina Department of Transportation eventually got the roads opened by late Sunday, but the back up of cars to get on the ferry was huge. “Ben got there at 7:30 PM, ferry’s were supposed to be running every 30 minutes but due to the high wind and seas on Puget Sound, they were running every hour or so. Ben watched two ferry’s load and leave between when he arrived and 10 PM. He was next in line. Then, they cancelled ferry service which was supposed to run until midnight,” Betsy said.
Ben was separated from the rest of his family that was already on Ocracoke Island. That’s when Betsy had a crazy idea. Her husband Stuart saw a helicopter landing at the local airport on the island as they were driving by. “He didn’t think I was serious when I told him to turn around and go back to the airport and ask if they would do this for us. I said the worst that could happen is they would say no!”
They didn’t say no! A chopper pilot couple by by the name of Allen and Patty Russell were more than happy to go shuttle Ben from the Hatteras airport back to his waiting family on the island. They were already helping another friend out by ferrying the helicopter from Florida to Maine.
Above pilots Allen Russell and his wife Patty take off from Ocracoke Island, NC to go pickup up Ben Smith who had been waiting in a hotel since the weekend to hopefully be able to meet up with his family once the roads reopened.
“The pilot is also a commercial airline pilot and still works. His wife learned to fly and has her pilots license to fly rotor wing because she said if she was going to fly in private planes and helicopters with her husband, she needed to know how to fly too in case something happened to him, they live in Texas.”
Ben snaps a picture of co-pilot Patty Russell from the back seat of the helicopter as they shuttle him back to Ocracoke Island to meet up with his waiting family. Tuesday – September 22, 2020.
It wasn’t a straight shot for Ben and his new pilot friends. They needed to make a fuel stop along the way to make sure they had enough to finish the trip. After a stop near Manteo, NC to top off, they headed for Ocracoke Island.
Photo by Patty Smith : After roughly a two hour flight and waiting three days, Ben landed at Ocracoke Island with his family waiting. Pilot Allen Russell (left) walks along to meet a very thankful Smith family. Tuesday – September 22, 2020
Betsy said she was never so happy to see her son walking from that helicopter after landing. “Elation! Relief! That he nor us needed to stress about the unknown as to when things would open up. Disbelief, that he got to us in this way. And, great joy that our family was finally all together to enjoy each other for a few days. Our children have their own careers and don’t live close, the times we are all able to be together with us, my mom, brother, nephew and niece-in- law is rare indeed.”
But this story isn’t quite over just yet. Remember, Ben is a culinary professional by trade. So he returned the favor to his sky saviors by preparing a meal fit for a king! He invited his new friends over to the rented home on Ocracoke Island to dine!
Ben Smith, formerly of Roseland, VA preps a huge meal Tuesday night for his new pilot friends that got him back to his family on Ocracoke Island. September 22, 2020
After everyone was back together Ben prepared this huge meal to thank two random strangers that picked him up in a helicopter and flew him back to his family. September 22, 2020
Back together again. Ben, his family and friends all pose for a photo Tuesday night on Ocracoke Island after his helicopter journey. September 22, 2020
A proper goodbye. Allen Russell and his co-pilot wife Patty do a low helicopter fly by at the Smith’s rented place on Ocracoke Island Wednesday morning as they were leaving on their way to their next adventure!
Betsy told me early Wednesday afternoon she wasn’t sure when the roads would reopen on the island as they were in pretty serious shape. I asked is it possible to get off the island now?
“No! Not at all! Road still closed! But we got no place to be.”
Photo By Tommy Stafford : Though not completely unheard, it was an early frost for some across the Blue Ridge Sunday morning. Temps dropped into the mid and upper 30s which allowed for some frost to form across the area. Bryant, Virginia – September 20, 2020.
But, that’s exactly what happened Sunday morning. A light to moderate frost fell in some parts of the Blue Ridge on both the east and west sides.
Frost coats the topper on this truck in Nelson County, VA Sunday morning September 20, 2020.Photo By Craig Nargi : To the west of the Blue Ridge Parkway in neighboring Augusta County, more frost could be found. The was at Hermitage Hill Farm north of Waynesboro. September 20, 2020.
At 2:21 a.m. Saturday (Sept. 5), Virginia State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash in Augusta County. A vehicle traveling in the 2000 block of Eastside Highway in Crimora ran off the road and crashed. There is one confirmed fatality. The crash remains under investigation.
This is all the information available at this time.
Thanks,
Corinne N. Geller
Public Relations Director
Virginia State Police
Photo courtesy of Saunders Brothers, Inc : Mr. Paul Saunders (center) is surrounded by his sons Tom, Bennett, Jim, and Robert at the Rose Garden’s recent unveiling at the White House. Their boxwoods from right here in Nelson were used extensively in the landscaping design.
“We were honored to be the sole supplier of boxwood in the recent renovation of The White House Rose Garden. The Saunders family’s connection to the Rose Garden spans two generations. Paul Saunders supplied the first boxwood for the Rose Garden in 1962 and Saunders Brothers has continued to supply boxwood and consult with The White House gardeners throughout the years,” the family said in a recent post to the company’s Facebook page.
Photo courtesy of Saunders Brothers, Inc : Saunders Brothers NewGen Independence® boxwood being placed on the grounds at The Rose Garden. The boxwood is a new variety that is more resistant to pest and disease.
We were honored to be the sole supplier of boxwood in the recent renovation of The White House Rose Garden. The Saunders…
To see more photos visit Saunders Facebook page above.
