Floodwaters began rising in the southern part of the state over the weekend, and now, six days later, there is much progress – but a long way to go.
One of the hardest hit areas: McDowell County, one of the most depleted counties in West Virginia.
The storm stories there are hard to hear.
“We’ve had everything from loss of life, major loss of property, major, major loss of infrastructure, such as water, power, internet, phone service, sewer, just about every basic need that you can imagine,” County Commission President Michael Brooks said. “It’s totally devastating.”
For one thing, he said, reaching some of those in need is almost impossible. There are hundreds of miles of secondary roads that are maintained privately, and scores of them are impassable right now.
“We’re just basically walking stuff in. We got guys carrying stuff across streams to get people,” including a generator for a severely disabled young girl on a ventilator, he said.
“It’s just the worst of the worst situations that you could possibly think of. That’s what we’re going through.”
In the immediate aftermath of the floods, Reclamation Church in Welch served as a shelter for some of those stranded. Local schools are filling that need now so the church is gathering cleaning supplies.
“We’re getting shovels, mobs, brooms, squeegees, bleach, paper towels, gloves, trash bags,” said Pastor Paul Dick.
And bracing for a surge of need in the weeks and months ahead.
“There’s been a few total losses that we’ve heard of. A lot of people do not carry flood insurance,” said Dick.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey praised the comprehensive effort from state and local officials. But he called it a truly historic weather event and acknowledged there is much to be done.
“We know that still, there are a few counties that are experiencing some road slides and washouts. Right now, that’s in Cabell, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo and Wayne,” said Morrisey.
Former Del. Ed Evans has seen plenty of devastation in his community, he said. What he hasn’t seen is any sign of federal help.
“I’m wondering what the holdup is with the federal government bringing FEMA in here?” Evans asked.
Morrisey is also waiting – but more patiently, and confident that help is on the way.
“We’ve been talking with FEMA, so I am hopeful that we will be receiving some feedback fairly soon. We know that some of the highest priority counties, we feel very good that they should meet the trigger to qualify for FEMA assistance,” he said.