English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Arlington, VA

Animals left homeless following Hurricane Helene arrive in Northern Virginia

Dozens of rescue dogs and cats from communities devastated by Hurricane Helene are arriving in northern Virginia to find forever homes here. It’s just one of the many ways people around here are reaching out and helping people and pets in need.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Dozens of rescue dogs and cats from communities devastated by Hurricane Helene are arriving in northern Virginia to find forever homes here. It’s just one of the many ways people around here are reaching out and helping people and pets in need.

This is one of the nearly two dozen cats and dogs brought here to Falls Church from Richmond over the past 24 hours. They were rescued from humane societies in parts of North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene.

More than 100 dogs and cats were trucked from North Carolina to Richmond on Monday. Then more pets arrived from Lee and Smyth counties in southwest Virginia Wednesday afternoon.

They've been taken in by several animal rescue organizations across the Commonwealth.

Nearly two dozen cats came to the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation from Tennessee on Sunday.

"We’ll, as we’re doing today, start to go through their records, start to determine what care they need. Many will need to be spayed or neutered. Upper respiratory infections — we can expect in a lot of them just because of the conditions and how stressful the transport can be, so having that identified and being able to get them the medical care that they’ll need right away," said Dawn Wallace, executive director of the shelter.

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All of these animals will eventually be available for adoption, brought here to make room in those shelters for people's pets who have been displaced by Helene.

"Our volunteers are here today at our Rescue Care Center in Falls Church and they’ll start being able to walk the dogs spend time with them, give them the TLC that they deserve after a long journey. The cats and kittens will get cuddled and snuggled and lots of playtime," Wallace said. "And we will start to determine how quickly we can get them all ready for adoption."

Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation has been doing this for 22 years, finding forever homes for more than 45,000 animals. The cats and dogs arriving now will likely be available for adoption next weekend.

If you’re interested in adopting one of these furry friends, click here.

Dramatic video shows members of a swift water rescue team from Arlington County, Virginia, getting a dozen people to safety as raging floodwaters rapidly overtake a bridge in Southwest Virginia.

The rescue took place in Damascus, Virginia, which was hit hard by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. It followed announcements of at least two deaths in Virginia caused by Friday’s storms and five voluntary evacuation orders prompted by dangerous flooding in Southwest Virginia.

The Prince William County Swift Water Rescue Team has also performed several water rescues over the past few days, including 19 people rescued Saturday, alongside rescue teams from Stafford County, according to a news release from the county’s Department of Fire and Rescue.

Arlington County Fire and EMS posted the video on its social media platforms Saturday afternoon. All told, the county’s swift water rescue team has made over 30 rescues since being deployed to Southwest Virginia, the department said.

The rescue that was partly caught on video happened as the team responded to reports of a person trapped inside their house and multiple other people who were in danger of seeing their houses swept away.

“The only way in or out of the at location was on a bridge with fast moving, debris laden water up to the bottom surface of the bridge but not over it,” the fire department said in an account of the rescue posted on social media.

The team used a swift water boat and broke a window to reach the trapped occupant.

Meanwhile, two local sheriff’s deputies were going door to door to urge residents to evacuate due to the rising water and the danger that their homes could be swept away.

The bridge was the only way out of the neighborhood and, at one point, a large shipping container slammed into the bridge and became wedged underneath, the department said.

By the time the crews were ready to cross the bridge with all the evacuated residents and the two deputies, the water was still rising and was, at that point, about 1 to 2 feet over the bridge.

“They watched as a home floated down stream and smashed into the bridge, leaving debris everywhere,” the department said.

According to the fire department’s account, just as the crews were attempting to cross the bridge, a large log became wedged into the bridge “in a position that could pierce the windshield of the vehicle and no doubt injure or kill its occupants.”

Crews were planning to cut up the log with chain saws when it suddenly shifted, and they made the snap decision to cross to rapidly cross the bridge.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin visited Damascus on Saturday to assess storm damage and said his administration is taking the initial steps to request federal disaster relief.

“We are heartbroken for all Virginians and Americans who have suffered in the wake of Hurricane Helene,” Youngkin said in a statement. “We’re incredibly proud of our brave first responders from around the Commonwealth who have saved countless lives, and we are deeply grateful to those working tirelessly to restore electricity, communication, and food supplies.”

Nationwide, the storm has been blamed for at least 56 deaths across five states, including 23 people in South Carolina and 11 in Florida. Devastating flooding was reported in North Carolina and Tennessee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.

A judge has ruled in favor of neighbors who filed a lawsuit last year.

ARLINGTON, Va. — A major update in a fight over housing and zoning in Arlington County happened Friday, when Judge David Schell ruled that missing middle home zoning rules should not stand.

Back in 2023, the Arlington County Board amended zoning to allow more multifamily homes in areas zoned for single-family homes. The idea was to create more housing, that appealed to a young, diverse set of residents in the county.

However, neighbors who already lived in those areas struck back. Several plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the county to throw out the initiative. Their chief concerns were overpopulation, devaluing their properties and sewage and runoff issues.

A judge ruled in the neighbors’ favor in 4/7 counts. The gist of it- the Arlington County board failed to pass the missing middle zoning amendment in accordance w/ Va law. Failed to consider factors like sewage influx. Unlawfully delegated authority of EHO to staff…

— Matt Gregory (@MattGregoryNews) September 27, 2024

Schell ruled in favor of the plaintiffs on four of six counts, meaning missing middle zoning changes will not happen in Arlington. He cited several failures that led to his ruling, including the Arlington County Board failing to pass the missing middle zoning amendment in accordance with Virginia law; failing to consider factors like sewage influx; unlawfully delegating authority of expanded housing options (EHO) to staff; and failure to act within the scope of duties delegated from the General Assembly.

The ruling followed a five-day trial in July during which multiple witnesses testified and hundreds of pages of documents were introduced into evidence.

“Arlington County underestimated the power of neighbors coming together to fight for the rule of law,” Marcia Nordgren, the lead plaintiff in the trial, said.

Arlington Neighbors for Neighbors, which has raised funds from more than 1,000 Arlington donors to support the lawsuit, celebrated the ruling, saying it stops missing middle in its tracks.

“This means that my neighbors cant just arbitrarily tear down a beautiful single family home and without any input from me build a huge six-plex," Nordgren said.

“Neighbors for Neighborhoods thanks all of the Arlington residents who reached into their pockets to take on the County Board and to the law firm of Blankingship and Keith, which represents the Plaintiffs and brought home today’s victory,” said Dan Creedon of Neighbors for Neighbors.

But not everyone was happy with the ruling.

"I feel disappointed," Arlington native Spencer Jones said. "Young people in this area, we are really struggling with the housing shortage and increasing housing costs."

Jones said he hopes the Arlington County Board will revisit the attempt at Affordable Housing.

“There’s nothing in the judge's ruling that says (the Board) can't pass the whole thing again," he said. "The bulk of the zoning was upheld when the judge ruled it wasn't arbitrary or capricious."

WUSA9 asked the Arlington County Board for its response to the ruling.

A spokesperson sent back:

"Arlington County is disappointed in the judge's ruling today in the Expanded Housing Option (EHO) Development trial (Nordgren v. Arlington County Board). We are reviewing the decision and determining the appropriate next steps to properly adhere to the ruling.The County Board remains committed to ensuring Arlington has housing options that meet our community's diverse and growing needs.The Board is exploring potential options moving forward, including appeal."

VIRGINIA — A strengthening tropical storm that forecasters believe could turn into a hurricane could bring some rain and possible coastal flooding to parts of Virginia later this week, according to the latest data.

Tropical Storm Helene is expected to intensify to near hurricane strength by early Wednesday and could be a major hurricane as it approaches the northern U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday. Landfall is most likely to occur somewhere in northern Florida along the Gulf Coast.

The current track of the storm shows it slowly turning to the northwest as it moves over Georgia and is forecast to dump heavy rains across the Southeast, the southern Appalachians and the Tennessee Valley later this week.

If the storm’s path shifts slightly, its remnants could impact the Washington, D.C., area late Friday into Saturday morning, forecasters said.

"If the track would go a little further west, we wouldn't see too much in the way of impacts here in the Washington area," FOX 5 meteorologist Tucker Barnes said. "But some of the models try to bring us some rain here by Friday and Saturday. So we've got some question marks for the end of the week."

Find out what's happening in Arlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Regardless, the area is in for a wet, soggy work week, according to forecasts.

"A slow-moving weather system and persistent onshore flow continue to hinder our ability to see sunshine for the next several days," the Capital Weather Gang said in its Tuesday forecast. "Potential remnants from upcoming Hurricane Helene could then bring further cloud cover and more rain chances late this week."

The region was under a hazardous weather outlook Tuesday as rain and showers moved through the area, according to the National Weather Service. Affected areas included the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, the Tidal Potomac River and the I-95 corridor through central Maryland, northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.

A coastal flood warning was also in effect until 4 a.m. Wednesday for the shorelines in the District of Columbia, Arlington County and the city of Alexandria.

According to NWS forecasters, the unprotected area on the Southwest Waterfront at the DC Seafood Market is expected to flood. Water is expected to approach parts of the Hains Point Loop Road and buildings near King and Union streets.

Moderate coastal flooding will remain possible at times through the end of the week, especially Friday, forecasters said.

"Friday is our trickiest forecast day as the weather models diverge on how much remnant moisture from upcoming Hurricane Helene spills into our area," the Capital Weather Gang said. "Rain is possible, especially in southern and western areas toward the afternoon."

Here's the detailed NWS forecast for Northern Virginia through Saturday:

Tuesday Night: Showers likely, mainly after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 64. East wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Wednesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before noon. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 79. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday Night: Showers likely, mainly before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 30%.