Ohio River Valley Communities Brace For Flooding

With several inches of rain forecast to arrive over the weekend, local and state officials are preparing for flooding. 41 of the state’s 55 counties were under either a Flood Watch or Flood Warning from the National Weather Service Friday afternoon.

The state remains under a state of preparedness declared by Gov. Patrick Morrisey ahead of a separate round of storms last week. Joe Curtis, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Charleston, said the western part of the state could see up to three inches of rainfall through Sunday. 

“The first round of heavy rain is going to be on Saturday during the day, and we’ll see it kind of let up a little bit overnight, and then the second round will be on Sunday,” he said. “On Sunday, we’ll see another round of rainfall, and because of how wet the ground is, any rain that falls over those two days are going to run off into the rivers and the streams, and then we could see some potential river flooding.”

The City of Huntington started erecting floodwall gates Friday morning in anticipation of the Ohio River cresting as high as 54 feet in the coming days, more than double the river’s annual average of 25 feet. 

The city also reports the Huntington Stormwater Utility is prepared to activate all 17 flood pump stations that are part of Huntington’s floodwall and levee system. The flood pump stations serve two key purposes – to prevent rising Ohio River water from flowing into the city and to pump high water from rainfall inside the city into the river. Huntington Sanitary Board crews also are preparing for heavy rainfall by cleaning debris out of catch basins in neighborhoods that are prone to flooding.

Curtis said with the ground already saturated from rain and snowmelt in recent days, the water will have one place to go.

“It’s not going to soak into the ground. If it comes down at a pretty heavy rate, it could lead to flash flooding which means that the waters are going to quickly pond and rise on the streets, and that could definitely cause issues for anyone traveling on those roadways,” he said. “In addition to that, all of the water is also going to flow down into the streams and in the rivers.”

Curtis said everyone should stay aware, including keeping an eye on local forecasts, as well as announcements from local government and your emergency responders.

Cabell County officials like Training and Public Education Coordinator for Cabell County 911 Ted Grant are already making preparations.

“The Cabell County EMS has got access to a couple of boats and military vehicles that are able to go in our water areas and retrieve people and help with evacuations if need be,” Grant said. “We’re also pushing the alert system for the county called CASS (Cabell Alert & Safety System) that the county has adopted to try to get notifications out to people a little bit more quicker.”

Citizens in flood-prone areas are advised to make preparations in case of evacuation, with some estimating the impact could be akin to past floods.

“From what I’ve been told, it’s been referenced back to the 1997 flood, where they did have significant flooding,” Grant said. “Certain parts of the community have also experienced significant flooding (three) years ago. So it’s definitely going to compete with those levels.”

Lora Lipscomb is the Public Information Officer for the West Virginia Emergency Management Division. She said emergency management is set up and ready to activate the emergency operations center if needed.

Lipscomb and others urge caution around floodwaters, and said to never walk or drive into flooded areas.

“Six inches of flood water and it looks like so little on the ground, but if it’s moving, it will knock a person down and not very much more than that will take the wheels out from under your car.”

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) has also announced preparations to work with the Emergency Management Division to combat the effects of the severe weather system, including staging crews across the state ready to monitor road conditions and close roads when impacted by road slips, landslides or high water.

The Kanawha County Commission has issued a State of Preparedness due to the coming rain and potential flooding. The press release from the commission highlights the potential for flooding along the Coal River.