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RICHMOND, Va. - Flooding touched off by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston left at least five people dead in Virginia on Tuesday and devastated a historic Richmond neighborhood that was the heart of the Confederate capital during the Civil War.
In the city's hard-hit Shockoe Bottom district, dozens of cars that had been carried off by the raging floodwaters were strewn about the streets, which were caked with mud and scattered with bricks and other debris. Numerous businesses and apartments were flooded. A produce truck lay overturned and a brick building had collapsed onto several vehicles.
Residents and city officials described a scene of terror as floodwaters fed by a foot of rain swept through the low-lying area on Monday, reaching depths of up to 10 feet. Rescue crews helped lift passengers out the windows of a marooned bus, and panicked motorists raced to escape their cars as the floodwaters engulfed them.
City officials closed off 20 blocks of the Shockoe Bottom district - or about half of the historic area - near the James River, declaring them off limits until the buildings can be inspected to make sure they are safe.
''The devastation to a lot of the businesses in Shockoe Bottom is overwhelming,'' said Gov. Mark Warner, who walked through the muddy streets. He said he would ask Washington to declare a state of emergency, making residents eligible for federal aid.
The storm surprised meteorologists, who had forecast no more than 4 inches of rain. But the system parked itself over the Richmond area for several hours. Northeast of the city, rural King William County received 14 inches, the National Weather Service said.
Most of the buildings in the low-lying district are two- and three-story brick structures, primarily warehouses and other commercial buildings converted into restaurants, nightclubs and loft apartments.
On Monday, rushing water swept away cars and trucks and smashed them into buildings.
Andrea Hughes, who lives in a Shockoe Bottom apartment, said she watched from the roof of a flooded pizza restaurant where she works as a river of water pushed her car for more than a block. Her roommate, who also works at the restaurant, lost her car underneath a collapsed building.
''We're now jobless, car-less and possibly homeless,'' said Hughes.
At least five people died in the storm.