Virginia Governor Mark Warner declared a state of emergency for the urban district after the tropical storm dumped 14 inches (35 centimeters) of rain on the region late Monday. Officials estimated the flood damage at some 15 million dollars.

Gaston, which made landfall Sunday in South Carolina, had been expected to pass quickly over the Richmond area. But instead it stalled for several hours, causing the James River to overflow its banks and flood several low-lying neighborhoods, turning numerous cars into a floating parade.

Five people were killed in the floods, including two women drowned inside their cars and a young man swept away after climbing out of his vehicle, Richmond's Time Dispatch daily said.

Two other people drowned after a human chain of about eight people trying to rescue somebody trapped inside their vehicle in a flooded creek broke apart. Police presume the other members of the human chain climbed safely out of the water.

The rain-driven floods closed down scores of roads across the city, including Interstate 95, the main highway running north-south along the US eastern seaboard.

It also knocked out electricity to about 100,000 homes in the area.

And Richmond's woes may not be over.

Weather forecasters are keeping a close watch on Hurricane Frances, which is heading for the Bahamas with winds of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour.

If it follows the usual path for hurricanes in the Atlantic, it could hug the US shore and eventually bring more damaging rain and wind to the Virginian capital.