SOUTH BOSTON Va. (WSET) — On Saturday night, the Dan River is expected to crest in South Boston around 8 p.m. Town leaders don’t expect it to flood the Riverdale area this time, but for years we’ve been covering this problem spot.
Over a dozen businesses moved over the past couple of years from the area near the intersection of 501 and 58 into the town of South Boston because of flooding from the Dan River.
Two business owners share their experiences, one who decided to move and one who refused.
Debby was a reminder for April Hodges about the move she had to make two years ago.
Her business, Alexia’s New Furniture Outlet, used to be located along Route 501 in the Riverdale area, but she was forced to move out because of the constant flooding.
“The concrete in there had my kid’s handprints on it, it had a lot of sentimental things going on over there, so it was really hard to see it go, but now we’re here,” Hodges said.
She is now located on Carrington Street. She is glad she doesn’t have to worry about flooding but is now struggling to find buyers at the new location.
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Brian Jones Motorsports is also located on 501 at the intersection with 58. They have seen their fair share of flooding.
However, General Manager Kevin Kernodle fought to stay in his location.
“This is the busiest spot within 50 miles, so my cars get noticed, I’m noticed and it’s worth the risk of having to just pack up every time we have a flood,”Kernodle said.
South Boston Town Manager Matthew Candland says even though this last storm didn’t cause flooding, it could have if waters reached over 25 feet.
“Twenty-three feet may or may have not affected those buildings at this point. But the point is during a normal flooding experience those buildings would get flooded,” said Candland.
That’s the reason why many businesses chose to leave.