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Flooding in Richwood: Image Gallery

Heavy rains cause the ground to collapse underneath the Main Street Motors office building in Richwood, WV.

As many as five fatalities related to the flooding were reported as of midday Friday after storms rolled into West Virginia early Thursday. Thousands were left without power and several roads rendered impassable.

WVPB’s Kara Lofton travelled to Richwood on Thursday evening and took these images of the flooding damage. For complete coverage of the storms and flooding, follow our ongoing coverage here.

Debris from historic heavy rains in Richwood, WV, bent a metal gate outside of the town's middle school.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Debris from historic heavy rains in Richwood, WV, bent a metal gate outside of the town’s middle school.

Downtown Richwood, WV, at dawn after hours of heavy rain flooded the little town.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting file photo
Downtown Richwood, WV, at dawn after hours of heavy rain flooded the little town.

State police stand behind a massive mudslide on route 39 near Richwood. Mudslides isolated the town for most of the night Thursday.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
State police stand behind a massive mudslide on route 39 near Richwood. Mudslides isolated the town for most of the night Thursday.

A firetruck outside Smithers, WV, warns travelers of a mudslide that obscured half the road.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A firetruck outside Smithers, WV, warns travelers of a mudslide that obscured half the road.

Paramedics settle a one-year-old boy into an ambulance after the child was carried over a huge mudslide outside Richwood, WV.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Paramedics settle a one-year-old boy into an ambulance after the child was carried over a huge mudslide outside Richwood, WV.

A paramedic carries a child over a mudslide to an ambulance waiting on the other side. Two other rescuers help the child's mother through the foot-deep debris.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A paramedic carries a child over a mudslide to an ambulance waiting on the other side. Two other rescuers help the child’s mother through the foot-deep debris.

View of a window of the Richwood Middle School artroom. The floodwaters completely blew out the glass. You can see the classroom on the left, the lawn on the right.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
View of a window of the Richwood Middle School artroom. The floodwaters completely blew out the glass. You can see the classroom on the left, the lawn on the right.

Debris covers the floor of the Richwood Middle School art room. Floodwaters completely blew out the large glass window exposing the classroom to the outdoors.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Debris covers the floor of the Richwood Middle School art room. Floodwaters completely blew out the large glass window exposing the classroom to the outdoors.

Debris covers the floor of the Richwood Middle School art room. Floodwaters completely blew out the large glass window exposing the classroom to the outdoors.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Debris covers the floor of the Richwood Middle School art room. Floodwaters completely blew out the large glass window exposing the classroom to the outdoors.

A mangled metal fence tangles with floodwater debris beside a downtown Richwood home.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A mangled metal fence tangles with floodwater debris beside a downtown Richwood home.

A battered trailer and ice chest sit beside the river in the early Friday morning.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A battered trailer and ice chest sit beside the river in the early Friday morning.

The Main Street Motors office building teeters off the side of the road in Richmond, WV, after the ground beneath it collapsed due to heavy rains Thursday.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The Main Street Motors office building teeters off the side of the road in Richmond, WV, after the ground beneath it collapsed due to heavy rains Thursday.

Broken Rite Aid doors are deadbolted shut early Friday morning in Richwood, WV. Rumors that the Rite Aid roof had collapsed and that the store had been looted were circulating, but could not be confirmed.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Broken Rite Aid doors are deadbolted shut early Friday morning in Richwood, WV. Rumors that the Rite Aid roof had collapsed and that the store had been looted were circulating, but could not be confirmed.

A ramp outside Richwood Middle School is garnished with floodwater debris.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A ramp outside Richwood Middle School is garnished with floodwater debris.

A state policeman inspects the mudslide covering route 39 west of Richwood.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A state policeman inspects the mudslide covering route 39 west of Richwood.

A segment of route 39 in Smithers has crumbled into the river below.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A segment of route 39 in Smithers has crumbled into the river below.

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