Gerry Connolly Tours Prince William County to See Flood Damage

For a lot of kids in Northern Virginia, their experience with the storms the last few days was simply that we had a lot of rain during their first week back in school. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people who actually suffered because of the severe flooding (hints why Fairfax County and other school systems ended up canceling school on Friday). So that he could see first hand some of the damage and meet with the some of the people who were affected by the storms, Rep. Gerry Connolly spent a significant amount of time in areas that received the brunt of the storms.

On Friday morning, for instance, Gerry went to Woodbridge HS to meet with evacuees from the area who were forced from their homes by the flooding. While he was there, he also met with Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi, American Red Cross officials, and first responders. Unfortunately, he had to leave after 45 minutes to rush back to Capitol Hill to cast his vote on the House floor for the Intelligence Authorization bill. (As a side note: I think this shows one of the benefits of living in the DC area. You’re Member of Congress is able to spend time in the district on the same days that he has votes up on the Hill. That isn’t the case for most of the country).

Considering how one of the big attractions of the Town of Occoquan is it’s proximity to the Occoquan River, it shouldn’t be too surprising that the Town was severely impacted by the storms. Several roads had to be shut down because of the flooding, for instance, and there was some damage to buildings in the community. As a result, Gerry went to the town and toured the town with Toddy Puller and Mayor Earnie Porta.

For what it's worth, here are some photos of Gerry on Friday in Prince William County.

Gerry Connolly visiting with Red Cross personnel at Woodbridge High School.

Rep. Gerry Connolly and state Sen. Toddy Puller talk with Occoquan shop owner Marla Cook about the flooding that covered the downtown area on Friday. Looking on is Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta.

Congressman Gerry Connolly, state Sen. Toddy Puller, Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta, and Delegate Rich Anderson talk with local resident James Phelps about damage caused when a small creek became a raging river Friday.