Louisa, Va., has been under assault from a string of severe and somewhat bizarre weather these last few months. Despite three-pronged damage from an earthquake, Hurricane Irene and no less than seven tornadoes, Thursday, FEMA said “no” to requests for aid in Virginia. Here’s a look at damage totals from those three events by the numbers.
Aug. 23 earthquake
* 5.8: The Richter Scale measurement for the late-summer jolt that shook Virginia. Louisa, Va., was the epicenter for that extremely rare quake.
* More than 40: The number of reported aftershocks in the Richmond area since August.
* $70.3 million: Damage estimates thus far for earthquake damage to homes, schools and various religious, government and commercial structures.
* between $57.5 and $64 million: Rough repair figures from earthquake damage just to local Louisa schools.
* $18 million: The estimates for property damage suffered in 900 homes.
* $8,500: The low damage per-resident average.
* $73,000: High damage per-residence estimates.
* Around 24: The number of the 900 homeowners who suffered damage who were insured against earthquakes.
* 200: The number of historic homes damaged by the earthquake.
* More than 150 years old: The age of many of the quake-damaged homes in the historic district. Many date back to before 1861 (the beginning of the Civil War). These homes survived the Battle of Trevilian Station, which took place six miles outside Louisa’s city limits. Buildings made it through the largest cavalry battle of the entire War Between the States, only to be damaged by a freak earthquake.
* Two: The number of declines for federal assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) turned down residents’ application for help. President Obama refused an invitation from Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell to visit the earthquake-damaged region on his jobs tour to the state next week. Gov. McDonnell is appealing the decision.
Hurricane Irene
* 150 miles: The distance from the coast that the hurricane was felt. Although the effects of the hurricane did little damage, it’s unusual for a hurricane to be felt so far inland. Hurricane winds also impacted structures already weakened by the earthquake and aftershocks.
October Tornadoes
* 7: The number of tornadoes reported Thursday, Oct. 13, in Virginia. One was reported in Louisa and four others near Washington, D.C. Complete damage estimates have not been released from those tornadoes. The tornado in Louisa affected the historic district, which as also impacted by the August earthquake.
* 7: The number of prior tornadoes reported in Louisa since 1950. Tornadoes in October are also quite rare.