Five are confirmed dead in Virginia, bringing Hurricane Michael's current death toll to 13.
On Thursday, the remnants of Hurricane Michael swept the region with flash flooding, tornadoes, extreme winds, widespread power outages, and tragedy.
According to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, five are confirmed dead, and over half a million people are without power across the state.
The five deaths confirmed by state medical examiners brings Michael's current death toll to 13.
According to Virginia State Police, the five deaths were in:
- Charlotte County, where two people were swept away in flood waters after a vehicle became stranded on a bridge. A man’s body was recovered Friday morning; a woman remains missing.
- Pittsylvania County, where a man drowned after he was swept away from his vehicle.
- City of Danville, where two people died in flooded-vehicle-related incidents.
- Hanover County, where a firefighter was killed in a crash.
Four of the Virginia deaths were drownings -- one in central Virginia and three in the western part of the state.
Virginia storm updates as of 7 a.m today. 5 confirmed Michael-related fatalities. 520,000 without power. 1,200 closed roads. 5 suspected tornadoes.
— VDEM (@VDEM) October 12, 2018
Among those casualties was Hanover County Firefighter Lt. Brad Clark. According to a news release from the Virginia State Police Department, Lieutenant Clark was killed while responding to a car accident along Interstate 295. As heavy storm conditions raged, Lieutenant Clark was attending to the crash scene when a tractor-trailer hit his firetruck around 9 p.m. on Thursday. The impact of the crash struck four fighters, with Lt. Clark succumbing to his injuries at the scene. Three of the firefighters were transported to VCU Medical Hospital Thursday night.
“Please join Hanover County Fire-EMS as we mourn the death of Lieutenant Brad Clark and keep his family and fellow firefighters in your thoughts and prayers," Battalion Chief Gregory Martin said in a statement.
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