|
Back to Bath: the long way During a 1969 vacation, Kent, our children Rod and Penny and I were traveling from Asheville to Manassas when it began raining heavily. On Hwy. 29 we saw an 18-wheeler stalled in water. We stopped as soon as possible and spent the night in the car as it continued to rain all night. By sunrise the rain had stopped and we discovered we were in Lovingston, Va. The Highway Patrol informed us the highway was washed out between every mountain for miles. The 18-wheeler we had seen was washed a mile down the gorge. The rain was the aftermath of Hurricane Camille. By afternoon, helicopter search, rescue and recovery operations began as many homes were washed away by mudslides. Morgues were set up in local churches. Kent knew helicopter hand signals from a tour of duty in the Army and helped with landings and take-offs. We spent the second night with a local family. The next day, Rod, Penny and I were airlifted by helicopter to Charlottesville and interviewed by a television reporter regarding the disaster. The third day Kent was allowed to drive out on an emergency-only back road. The fourth day we headed home to Bath, thanking God for our safety. Betty B. Gurganus |
|
