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Pets of Flood Victims Find Temporary Homes at Animal Shelters

The devastating flood last week displaced not only people, but also many pets. Lots of folks are having a hard time finding a place for their furry friends to stay as they look for a new home. Some Humane Associations in the state are stepping up to do what they can to help – like the Kanawha County Humane Association.

Dozens of volunteers stood outside the Kanawha County Humane Association on Tuesday in the hot sun, loading up heavy bags of dog and cat food onto trucks.

“Today we’re accepting dog food or actually any donations animal related,” said Joshua Felty, Director of Operations at the Kanawha County Humane Association, “We’re using some of it at the shelter here, and we’re also loading up trucks and sending food up to Clendenin, Elkview, all over the place, just wherever they need help up there.”

Literally thousands of pounds of pet food were donated on Tuesday alone, but Felty says that’s not the only way his organization is trying to help.

“We’re offering free boarding as well, so it’s not just impoundment,” he said, “Once those animals come in, we vaccinate, and we’re doing all that for free. We’ve had several animals come in that have already went home. They’re still coming in though.”

At the time of this interview, Felty said his facility was holding about twenty dogs for flood victims.

“Some people are going to shelters, and they can’t take their animals with them, so we will hold them as long as we need to, and again that’s going to be free of charge. You know, it’s the least we could do.”

The West Virginia Division of Agriculture reports several shelters are open for pets in the wake of flooding events:

Kanawha County — Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association 1248 Greenbrier Street Charleston, WV 25311. Phone Number (304) 342-1576. Opened on Saturday June 25.
Greenbrier County — Greenbrier County Humane Association 151 Holliday Drive Lewisburg, WV. Phone Number (304) 645-4775. Opened on Tuesday, June 28.
Fayette County — Fayette County Volunteers 26719 Midland Trail (Midland Trail High School) Lookout, WV. Opened on Tuesday, June 28. Point of Contact Is: Kevin Walker (304) 574-1610.

Clendenin Just Beginning to Recover from Historic Flood

By his estimate, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said thousands of homes have either been destroyed or damaged beyond repair after severe storms rolled through much…

By his estimate, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said thousands of homes have either been destroyed or damaged beyond repair after severe storms rolled through much of southeastern West Virginia Thursday, leaving in its wake some of the worst flooding the state has seen in years.

“No one’s seen anything like this before,” House Speaker Tim Armstead said Monday as he waited outside Clendenin Advent Christian Church for Tomblin.

After a press conference, Tomblin toured the church as Pastor Mike Todorovich pointed out the devastation.

The decades old baby grand piano that sits in the worship hall is one of the only items to survive the flood that filled Clendenin Advent Christian Church with water.

“We slept up on the balcony water got up as far as the stoop over there,” Todorvich told the governor as they stood in the worship hall that took on several inches, if not feet of water.

“When the water crested in the church, it went up about an inch on the window sill at that point before it started going back down.”

Todorvich showed Tomblin the mud, debris and three to four inches of water left behind in the churches basement. When he pointed to the decades old piano in the worship hall, the only thing that survived, he broke down.

“You know, when you see devastation like you have here in Clendenin, it’s going to take some time for people to get their homes, their lives back in order,” Tomlin said during his press conference. Earlier in the day, he had visited the town of Rainelle in Greenbrier County, one of the hardest hit by the storm.

FEMA- the Federal Emergency Management Agency- sent crews to the state Saturday to begin assessing the overall damage from the high water. Monday, more FEMA personnel began documenting and assessing the damage to personal property in the three counties named federal disaster areas.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin during a press conference in front of Clendenin Advent Christian Church

FEMA coordinating officer Albie Lewis says people should begin to clean up, but while they’re doing it, should take pictures and carefully document the damage to everything from dry wall to personal belongings. And they should register with FEMA so an assessor can help them get federal aid.

Todorovich has started the cleanup process in his church’s community hall next door where volunteers from Circleville, Ohio, are tearing down damaged dry wall so it can be replaced.

Armstead said, in Clendenin, it will likely take months to clean up and rebuild- every business in town is closed due to storm damage and the infamous old school Dairy Queen collapsed when moving water swept through the town, but he believes the town will come back.

“This is a wonderful little town and I think most of the people here want to stay and they’ve lived here, I mean, most of us who live in the Elk River area have lived here, generations of our family have lived here and people don’t want to leave. So, we’re hoping that we can put it back together and work hard to keep everybody here.”

When the Waters Recede: Photos from Northern Kanawha County

As of Saturday afternoon, 23 fatalities related to the flooding have been confirmed by state emergency officials after storms rolled into West Virginia…

As of Saturday afternoon, 23 fatalities related to the flooding have been confirmed by state emergency officials after storms rolled into West Virginia early Thursday. Thousands were left without power and several roads rendered impassable.

WVPB’s Kara Lofton traveled to northern Kanawha County Saturday and took these images of the flooding damage. For complete coverage of the storms and flooding, follow our ongoing coverage here.