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West Virginia has already seen two deadly flooding events this year. Lawmakers are getting a better understanding of the state’s capacity to respond to those events.
The Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding met for just the second time this year Tuesday morning. The committee has averaged at least five meetings for the past three years.
Evan Conley is executive director of the state’s Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). The group coordinates nonprofit and charitable organizations to respond after a disaster, as well as conducting case management for survivors.
Conley told lawmakers that the uncertainty of the Federal Emergency Management Agency going forward raises concerns for the state.
“Our main concern going forward is recovery cases exceeding the capacity of what nonprofits and its partners can and our membership can come up with going forward,” he said.
Conley estimated that West Virginia is currently seeing a major flooding event roughly every six months. For now, he said VOAD is in good financial standing with a surplus on its books.
Conley said families and individuals impacted by recent flooding, regardless of a disaster declaration, can contact VOAD. Assistance may be expedited if a state disaster survey has already been submitted with the Emergency Management Division (EMD).
“We have a partnership and an agreement with EMD to where we would get those surveys. The original purpose of those surveys would be to gather data for a federal declaration, for the state to put together a report and submit it to the feds,” Conley said. “We found a secondary use for that data. Since we already have it, we can give it to the nonprofit ends, which comes through VOAD, and then we can get out to reach those families while we’re waiting on that disaster declaration.”