Emergency Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

After Hurricane Helene, Morgan County Bolsters Local Emergency Prep

The devastation of Hurricane Helene has led emergency response officials and advocates in Morgan County to bolster emergency preparedness efforts for the public.

Hurricane Helene devastated large areas of the southeastern United States in late September, claiming hundreds of lives.

Damage from the cyclone was less pronounced in West Virginia. But it still reminded some emergency response officials that natural disasters require proactive preparation, because they can occur without much warning for residents.

“Take the emergency situations that happened in North Carolina and Tennessee. Their systems, they weren’t there anymore. Towers blew down. Towns washed away,” said Jason Hoover, director of the Morgan County Office of Emergency Services, Sunday afternoon. “We’re talking about 350 miles and that could have been us.”

Hoover addressed the hurricane at a local firehall in Berkeley Springs as part of an emergency preparedness seminar for Morgan County residents.

The event was hosted by Hoover’s office and the Morgan County Emergency Communications Network (MCECN).

A nonprofit, the MCECN was founded in 2020 by amateur radio operators in Morgan County. It aims to provide an independent communication network as a backup for government-run communication services during emergencies, according to MCECN President John Petersen.

More than 300 residents attended the event in person or joined over livestream, according to the MCECN. Local emergency response officials outlined risks the community should prepare for, plans for how to respond to a disaster and current methods of emergency communication.

Hoover said many people look to federal organizations like the Federal Emergency Management Agency for intervention during emergencies, but that responses from national agencies tend to be delayed. That means keeping the local community prepared is crucial, he said.

“Disasters start local, and they end local,” Hoover said. “The only thing we can do as a community is help prepare for that.”

Major disasters like Hurricane Helene are typically so large in scale that they overwhelm local emergency response efforts and the supply chain, preventing people from getting resources, according to Petersen.

Morgan County Emergency Communications Network President John Petersen addresses attendees at an emergency preparedness seminar in Berkeley Springs Sunday.

*Photo Credit: Morgan County Emergency Communications Network*

Stores can run out of food in a matter of days, and communication networks and internet service can fall soon after, he said.

One way residents can prepare for events like these is creating emergency kits with nonperishable food and water, sheltering supplies, medical and self-defense items, and communications and power resources, Petersen said.

Petersen said families should also develop plans for where they would go during an emergency, and which family member would take on each responsibility.

“Remember the brief they give you at the beginning of the airplane [ride]? They say, if the oxygen masks come down, you take care of yourself first,” he said. “That’s the idea. You’ve got to take care of yourself first. Because, if you haven’t got the capability to deal with this, then you’re not going to be able to help anybody else.”

Morgan County law enforcement, medical and fire response officials also spoke during Sunday’s event, highlighting additional crises the community could face and the role their agencies play in responding to them.

To close, the MCECN walked residents through current emergency communications infrastructure in Morgan County.

They said amateur radio operators play an increasingly important role in strengthening communication resources available during disasters, and explained how amateur radios function for prospective new users.

When cellular service and the internet are down, amateur radio operators “are the last resort,” Petersen said. “The amateur radio community commonly plays a central role in providing communications when there are big disasters.”

Petersen also said that the MCECN and its community partners hope to continue hosting meetings and trainings throughout the year so more people can get involved, and so that the local community continues to think about how to prepare for the unexpected.

For him, preparing for emergencies long term means “you don’t have to be afraid” when disasters do strike.

“You prepare, and you think about alternatives, and you train for it,” Petersen said.

To watch the Morgan County Emergency Communications Network livestream of Sunday’s emergency preparedness seminar, visit the nonprofit’s YouTube page.

Pocahontas County Records First Tornado

Strong winds traveled north from Greenbrier County into the quiet community of Hillsboro Wednesday evening. There, they accumulated into a full tornado — the first recorded in Pocahontas County history.

The tornado traveled through empty fields and did not make contact with any buildings. No damages or injuries have been reported, but emergency response officials will survey the area this week for more information.

West Virginia has recorded more tornadoes this year than any before. As of Aug. 8, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported that 19 tornadoes struck the state this year, with Wednesday bumping that figure to 20.

Previously, the most tornadoes recorded in one year of state history was 14 in 1998.

Tony Edwards, NWS warning coordination meteorologist for the Charleston area, said severe weather events in early April contributed to this year’s high tally. But so have new types of technology that better detect tornado occurrence, like aerial drones.

“Drone imagery was really crucial to us being able to tell that they were, in fact, tornadoes and not straight-line wind damage,” he said. “I think if that event had happened 10 years ago, we wouldn’t have called so many of them tornadoes because we would have been limited to ground surveys.”

Edwards pointed to neighboring Ohio, which has also experienced a record-breaking number of tornadoes this year. The state’s count rose to 71 this week.

“Improvements in technology are just allowing us to see and diagnose more tornadoes than in the past,” he said. “But it has been busy.”

As of early August, 19 tornadoes had been recorded in West Virginia this year, with a notable concentration in the southern region of the state.

*Map Credit: National Weather Service*

Kevin Stitzinger, deputy director for emergency management in Pocahontas County, said his department was notified of severe wind alerts from the National Weather Service around 6 p.m. Wednesday.

By 6:30 p.m., a tornado was spotted rolling through a rural area in the southern part of the state. Stitzinger said the storm “passed relatively quickly,” traveling toward the town of Marlinton and the Randolph County border before subsiding.

“Luckily, it avoided any homes,” he said. “We have no reports of any injuries or structural damages at this point. We are just feeling really thankful that we got through it without any problems, any injuries.”

Because it did not cause any major damages, Stitzinger said the tornado generated more intrigue than concern locally.

“People are more or less just kind of excited about it,” he said. “It was an interesting thing to see and to have happen in our area. We don’t often get tornadoes here simply because of the roughness of the terrain.”

Still, Stitzinger said Pocahontas County Emergency Management treated the event as a standard hazard, sending out alerts that asked residents to seek shelter.

While tornadoes are still relatively uncommon in West Virginia, Edwards said the region is prone to strong winds, which can knock down trees and cause structural damage.

Regardless of a weather event’s classification, Edwards said residents should take precautions.

In moments of severe wind, “you want to be in an interior room away from windows and doors,” he said. “Hunker down in that interior room when the storms are going on.”

Now, local responders are working with the NWS to complete a survey on the area, and the Pocahontas County emergency management office is finishing up its report on the incident.

Stitzinger is grateful the event passed without any major issue.

“Things went really well,” he said. “Everybody’s doing okay.”

Two Weeks Remain To Apply For Aid Related To April Storms

Just weeks remain for residents to apply for financial assistance with FEMA and the SBA over storms and flooding that struck the state April 11 and 12. Forms of aid available range from assistance for home repairs to business loans.

Residents have until Sept. 3 to apply for storm-related financial assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).

The aid can help with the cost of repairs due to storms and flooding that struck West Virginia on April 11 and 12.

Renters and homeowners in Boone, Hancock, Kanawha, Marshall, Ohio, Roane, Wetzel and Wood counties can seek financial aid from FEMA to cover their basic needs, property damages and repair projects tied to the inclement weather, among other costs.

Residents and business owners from these counties can also seek disaster relief loans from the SBA to offset financial losses from the storms.

Eligible parties seeking emergency aid from FEMA can apply for assistance online at disasterassistance.gov, by calling the agency at 1-800-621-3362 or by visiting their local disaster recovery center.

Residents and business owners can apply for SBA loans online at the agency’s website. They can also contact the SBA over the phone at 1-800-659-2955, or over email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

FEMA Declares April Storms Major Disaster, Opening W.Va. To Federal Funds

Flooding, landslides and tornadoes swept West Virginia in April. FEMA has declared the events a major disaster, allowing residents to apply for federal aid for damages.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has declared a stretch of extreme weather in West Virginia last month — including flooding, landslides and tornadoes — a major disaster, opening the state to federal relief funds.

The declaration was made Wednesday. After the incidents in April, Gov. Jim Justice said during a virtual press briefing the state would pursue a FEMA disaster declaration that encompassed all of the local incidents.

In making a disaster declaration, FEMA needs to see “a great number of people that are affected, or a great amount of property damage,” he said.

Residents affected in designated areas of the state — primarily the Kanawha Valley, Northern Panhandle and Preston County — can now apply for federal financial support over personal, business or property damages incurred during the incidents from April 2 to April 6.

Residents can apply for the funding at disasterassistance.gov.

For more information on the disaster declaration and resources available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, visit fema.gov/disaster/4783.

Justice Calls On FEMA, Lawmakers To Supplement Storm Aid

After intense storms last week, Gov. Jim Justice is seeking federal aid from FEMA and the creation of an on-retainer state emergency fund by West Virginia lawmakers.

Updated on Wednesday, April 10 at 3:35 p.m.

Gov. Jim Justice is developing a disaster declaration request for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over severe weather events that occurred across West Virginia last week.

If approved, the request would grant federal relief funding to West Virginia residents affected by last week’s incidents, which included flooding, tornadoes, and destructive winds. The storms claimed the life of one Wood County resident and wrought structural and property damage statewide.

To qualify as a FEMA disaster, weather emergencies must reach a threshold of local damage that warrants federal intervention.

To strengthen the state’s case for a disaster declaration, Justice said during a virtual press briefing Wednesday that he would combine each of last week’s incidents into a single request.

“The problem with FEMA is they want a great number of people that are affected, or a great amount of property damage,” he said.

Justice has already declared ongoing states of emergency for 12 different counties in response to the incidents. These declarations facilitate state-level emergency response efforts, but do not secure the funding a FEMA disaster declaration provides on the federal level.

During the call, Justice also voiced disapproval of state lawmaker’s inaction on aspects of his budget proposal for the 2024 regular legislative session, which he said would have aided the state’s response to the emergencies so far.

Storms in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle elevated the Ohio River’s water levels, causing severe flooding in nearby Wheeling last week.

*Photo Credit: Wheeling Fire Department*

Justice specifically pointed to a $50 million emergency fund that he requested to have on retainer for unexpected crises.

“The $50 million in regard to emergency funds, because of catastrophic events within our state, is something that is so important,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”

But, in a statement following Wednesday’s briefing, Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, pushed back against Justice’s characterization of budget proceedings.

Hanshaw said that any funding set aside in this year’s budget would not yet have been accessible in response to last week’s storms.

Additionally, Hanshaw said that the state’s $85 million Civil Contingent Fund can be applied toward immediate disaster relief with the governor’s approval.

“If the governor wishes to respond to this tragedy in any way, he has the full capacity to do so, unfettered by the Legislature,” he said.

Justice has already declared that he will call lawmakers back to the Capitol before May 14 for a special session of the West Virginia Legislature, with expansions to the state’s budget at the top of his mind.

In pushing for these expansions, Justice said he will renew calls for the state to set aside an emergency relief fund.

“I will surely put that back on the call,” he said.

**Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a comment from Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay.

Rainfall Helps Contain Wildfires, But Problems Persist For Residents

Storms swept West Virginia on Tuesday, providing rainfall over wildfires in the eastern region of the state. Meanwhile, residents are still grappling with property damages on the ground.

Storms swept through West Virginia on Tuesday, knocking down trees and powerlines.

But the rainfall provided an unexpected benefit to communities in the Potomac Highlands and Eastern Panhandle: helping quash fires that have burned for days on end.

Emergency responders are continuing to monitor the region after extensive wildfires burned through more than 5,000 acres in late March.

All of the wildfires have since been contained, which means emergency responders have surrounded them to restrict their spread. But portions of the fire continue to burn, and smaller fires have popped up elsewhere in the state.

Now, the added rainfall has helped emergency responders gain further control over the wildfires, according to Assistant State Forester Linda Carnell.

“We’ve already got over an inch of rain,” she said. “Yes, there are hindrances to too much rain. But, in the long run, this will definitely help get the upper edge on all these fires.”

Still, Carnell said rainstorms are often followed by intense winds. That means residents should remain vigilant about fire safety protocol.

In the meantime, though, she said emergency responders are appreciative of the win.

“It’s a good thing. We’re happy for the rain,” Carnell said. “We definitely needed it.”

A large puddle on Shepherd University’s campus Tuesday following heavy rain. Rainstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday helped further contain wildfires in West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands and Eastern Panhandle.

*Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

While the wildfires have been contained, damages continue to affect residents on the ground.

Paul Lewis serves as director of emergency management for Hardy County, one of the areas most affected by the fires. He said the fires have caused significant structural damage, and displaced some residents from their homes.

“We’ve had some houses lost and those people right now are in one of the shelters trying to find a place to relocate,” he said. “There’s at least two families there.”

In addition to homes, several cabins and outbuildings have been destroyed by the flames, he said.

While county officials continue to monitor the situation locally, Lewis said that residents have coordinated with relief organizations to access additional support.

For example, the Catholic Charities of West Virginia has provided resources to residents in need. The Hardy County 4-H Camp, located in Wardensville, has also served as a temporary relief shelter for some residents, he said.

Additionally, Lewis said residents facing damage to their places of residence can contact The American Red Cross of the Greater Shenandoah Valley for further support.

Lewis said the county is still collecting data on the extent of structural damages and further updates will be provided in future.

For more information on wildfire incidents in West Virginia, visit the Division of Forestry’s Fire Report webpage.

Residents affected by the wildfires can contact the Central Appalachian Region of the American Red Cross for support.