ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, August 13, 1996               TAG: 9608130079
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER 

FLOODING STREAMS CLOSE ROADS THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

As floodwater spewed from a stalled truck's tailpipe, people from the Blacksburg Country Club neighborhood in Ellett Valley speculated about exactly how the vehicle failed to make it through water covering Clubhouse Road.

"He must have been going too fast," one man said.

"I heard he has a fear of drowning and he panicked," a woman said.

"Maybe a Japanese car would make it," another man said as muddy water from the North Fork of the Roanoke River rolled past.

But Carl Hetzel and his passenger (who would reveal only his first name, Jim, citing a desire not to be known for getting stuck) did not find the event amusing.

A tow truck pulled the men and their vehicle to safety after it stalled about 100 feet from exposed black top.

Hetzel said he is vacationing in the area; from where, he would not say. He did say he had not been concerned with how fast he was driving when he tried to go through the nearly 2 feet of water; he was mostly concerned with making it across.

Driving too fast through the water caused a wake to roll over the hood and drown the engine, according to Sheriff Doug Marrs.

The road was later closed, along with several others in Montgomery and Carroll counties. Marrs said nearly 6 inches of rain had fallen in Montgomery by 5:30 p.m.

"Catawba Road is flooded in three places before the county line," Marrs said.

Neighbors who live on the other side of the flooded Clubhouse Road waited until the men were pulled to safety before crossing. Several four-wheel-drive vehicles and a big car made the crossing without incident, but at a tugboat's pace.

Heavy rains caused other streams to overrun their banks and cover two dozen secondary roads in Southwest Virginia, where a flash flood watch was in effect throughout the evening.

The highest rainfall total for Sunday night and Monday was in the Carroll County community of Fancy Gap, where 7.3 inches was recorded.

The National Weather Service said a stationary front could bring periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms to the mountains and foothills today.

``More rain could cause significant problems because the creeks and rivers are full and the ground is saturated,'' said Mike Emlaw, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Blacksburg office.

``It depends on how much rain, and when it comes.''There were 25 secondary roads closed due to flooding as of 6 p.m. Monday, according to Wayne Davis, traffic controller for the state highway department's emergency operations center.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

LENGTH: Medium:   63 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  ALAN KIM/Staff. 1. Loyd Sowers, with Campus Exxon of 
          Blacksburg, guides the winch line while it is tightened before 
          towing a stalled sport/utility vehicle on Clubhouse Road in 
          Montgomery County. CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. 2. A waterlily captures a 
          few raindrops during a shower Monday morning on Lake Drive in 
          Bedford. color. 3. Michelle Wills briskly crosses Pollard Street at 
          Lee Avenue en route to the Vinton post office with her employer's 
          mail.