Fort Belvoir, Va. -- Fort Belvoir survived Hurricane Irene with minimal damages to post.
The Installation Operations Center reports the hurricane hit Belvoir around 8 p.m., Saturday, at the Category 1 level, with 80 mph winds in the area. The storm caused a number of trees' branches to fall and minimum flooding.
Several areas on post had power outages, with the majority being restored by Sunday.
"We got, I would consider, a glancing blow from Hurricane Irene," said Timothy Maples, operations specialist in IOC.
Maples said Belvoir was extremely fortunate that the storm, which caused fatalities and severe damages in multiple states on the East Coast, didn't inflict more pain to the installation.
"From past experience, not only did we do well, but we we're spared real devastation," said Maples.
Maples said the various agencies on the installation communicated well with the garrison directorate, making Belvoir very prepared for any issues Irene presented.
"I think the installation did an excellent job," Maples said.
Hurricane Irene tore through the East Coast, impacting North Carolina all the way up to Vermont. The storm left massive damage from flooding and strong winds.
Fortunately for Belvoir, the biggest problem the hurricane created on the installation was debris from fallen trees. Branches on the roads obstructed traffic and were also a big source behind power outages when they fell onto lines.
Cleanup crews have been working around the clock to clear roads and restore power.
Steve Galay, Directorate of Emergency Services' law enforcement division patrol captain, said trees were also the source behind a broken natural gas meter at a home in Belvoir Village.
Residents decided to spend Saturday night at a family house, though the broken meter didn't make their home unlivable. The meter has since been fixed.
DES had additional officers on post, who were ready to respond to any issue during the storm.
"I think that we responded the way we were trained and in accordance with normal divisional policy and regulation," Galay said.
Before the storm, the garrison implemented a door-to-door campaign to persuade the installation's residents to put their household items indoors.
"They were very cooperative and understanding of that endeavor," Galay said.
There were legitimate concerns from the garrison that the hurricane would cause significant flooding in some of the areas around the installation near bodies of water.
Fortunately, none of these areas received any noticeable problems, but a clogged sewer created flooding on 50 percent of Gunston Road, from 1st Street heading north. Flooding subsided Sunday.
In event of heavy flooding around village areas, residents of Belvoir would have been asked to evacuate. Since no such order was initiated, many residents braved the storm at home.
Janelle Carutis, marketing manager for Pinnacle Housing, said Pinnacle was very thankful the hurricane didn't inflict serious damages to the villages.
"We're fortunate to not have anyone injured," Carutis said.
Like the rest of the installation, trees were the biggest issues for the villages.
Pinnacle is working with the installation and their contractors to remove fallen tree branches. Carutis said they still have a long way to go in terms of cleanup, but thanks the community for being patient and supportive.
Residents can contact their neighborhood center to notify Pinnacle of any issues.
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