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More than 80 residents have been evacuated from an apartment complex in Charles Town after a severe storm Wednesday night tore apart the building’s roof.
Now, at least 50 residents of Charles Towers are staying in emergency housing at the Ranson Civic Center while repair crews remove debris and restore the property. City officials say the remaining residents opted to find their own housing options, like lodging with family or friends.
Located just outside downtown Charles Town, Charles Towers contains 81 single-occupancy units, and specifically provides “low-income, elderly and special needs housing,” according to a public housing portal from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Charles Town Mayor Mike George said the facility primarily serves veterans and the elderly.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a hazardous weather warning for eastern West Virginia and surrounding portions of Maryland and Virginia on Wednesday at 5:33 p.m. NWS forecasted thunderstorms headed for the region that evening could produce “flash flooding,” “damaging wind gusts” and even “large hail.”
NWS meteorologist Kyle Pallozzi said most areas faced rainfall and flash flooding, but Charles Town experienced distinctly severe wind.
“We had scattered instances of trees down due to the high winds,” Pallozzi said. “The worst of it was in Charles Town proper.”
Late Wednesday, those winds tore part of the roof off Charles Towers and opened the building to water damage from the rainfall, George said.
George told West Virginia Public Broadcasting on Thursday that the damage to Charles Towers was so severe residents had to be evacuated from the building on school buses loaned by the Jefferson County Board of Education.
The storms damaged units’ ventilation systems, electric wiring and plumbing infrastructure, he said. Meanwhile, fallen trees destroyed the roofs of two additional houses in Charles Town.
“Both of them have tarps on now, so they’re not going to be condemned,” George said. “[The residents] get to stay in them, but they’re going to have to have their roofs completely replaced.”
For residents of Charles Towers, though, George said it will likely take until next week to reenter the bottom four floors. Residents of the upper-most fifth floor may have to wait longer to return to their homes, he said.
Despite this, George emphasized that repair crews have “made a lot of progress.”
“They cleared everything off the roof. They got, I believe, all the electricals back up and ventilations back up,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of water damage, only on the fifth floor. It was — I wouldn’t say horrific, but it was pretty bad.”
Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
According to the West Virginia Real Estate Assessment portal, the apartment complex has been operated by management company Charles Towers Associates since at least 2022. Representatives for the company did not return multiple phone call requests for comment on this story.
George said the roof had been replaced in 2022, and that he was unaware of any structural issues in the apartment complex prior to Wednesday’s storm. He also said the company’s owner and maintenance manager traveled to Charles Town from out of state to guide the recovery process.
Evacuating residents and making sure their needs were met was a coordinated effort across city and county governments, George said. That also included support from the neighboring City of Ranson, the Charles Town Police Department and the Ranson-based Independent Fire Company.
City ambulances helped evacuate residents with mobility needs, and the Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency worked to clear storm-related debris from the road.
Plus, George said the effort benefited from an “outpouring” of support from the community, from pet supply donations to cleanup assistance.
At the Ranson Civic Center, staff members with the Greater Shenandoah Valley chapter of the American Red Cross — based in Winchester, Virginia — have been on the site to provide food, sleeping arrangements, emergency health care and other support as needed, according to Executive Director Deborah Fleming.
“The community response has been really great,” Fleming said.
But Fleming also said Wednesday’s storm is not an isolated event. The Red Cross has been responding to an increasing number of weather-related emergencies, and Fleming said it is important residents stay both aware and prepared.
“Disasters have been increasing in intensity and number,” she said. “To put that in perspective, the Red Cross in 1980 used to respond to three national disasters a year. Last year, we responded to 27. This year, we’re on target to more than double that.”
“Things like this aren’t isolated anymore. They’re happening more frequently in areas that used to not have disasters,” Fleming continued. “It’s really important to be prepared to know what’s going on in your community.”
Plus, both George and Fleming underscored the importance of being prepared for emergency situations, and even proactively undertaking training in case disaster strikes.
“It’s great with all the outpouring [of support] right now, but what would be better is if we had local people that were trained in first aid,” George said. “So, when a disaster happens, we’re right there.”
George said he is pursuing emergency medical training himself to better aid in future emergency response efforts.
“I think we did pretty good, but there’s always room for improvement,” he said.
Fleming said steps like these can make a big difference in an emergency situation.
“We really appreciate the volunteers coming out when an event happens,” she said. “What we can also do, though, is get them trained up before that so that they know what to expect.”
“Then they’re better prepared to either help themselves, or help other people as well,” she added.
For more information on emergency support following Wednesday’s storms, contact the Greater Shenandoah Valley chapter of the American Red Cross or the Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency.