Fayette County Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

National Weather Service: Tornado Touched Down In Fayette County

Preliminary damage assessments indicate an EF-2 tornado, with wind speeds up to 130 mph, touched down in the Hico area during Tuesday’s severe weather.

The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down Tuesday in Fayette County.

Preliminary damage assessments indicate an EF-2 tornado, with wind speeds up to 130 mph, touched down in the Hico area during Tuesday’s severe weather.

John Peck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, explained how the tornado’s strength is calculated.

“Structures, depending on how the structure is built, what the structure is made of, tree damage, things like that,” he said. “We generate an estimated wind speed based off the damage to those indicators.”

No fatalities have been reported statewide from Tuesday’s storms.

The deadliest tornado in state history occurred in Shinnston on June 23, 1944. It killed 103 people and clocked wind speeds of 206 mph. Today, it would be categorized as an EF-5, the strongest possible tornado.

Tornadoes are ranked according to their wind speeds, from EF-0 at 65 mph to EF-5 at 200 mph. Anything EF-2 or above is considered strong.

Peck said West Virginia sees, on average, one tornado a year.

This week marks the 50-year anniversary of the 1974 Super Outbreak of 148 tornadoes in 13 states in the Midwest and South, killing 335 people.

Though West Virginia was not as severely affected as Kentucky or Ohio in April 1974, a few tornadoes did touch down in southern West Virginia.

New River Gorge National Park Plans Grassland Burn

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Fire Managers plan to burn approximately five acres in the coming weeks.

This planned fire, also called a prescribed burn, is intended to maintain native grassland habitat that provides food and nesting space for birds and other wildlife. It also discourages the spread of invasive species.

The burn will take place sometime between Feb. 19 and March 31, based on weather conditions such as wind speed, direction and humidity. Before implementing the burn, the fire manager will evaluate current conditions and will only begin ignition if the prescribed conditions are within those parameters.

The prescribed burn area is located just north of I-64, and Route 20 interchange (Exit 139). The Sandstone Visitor Center and parking lot will be closed during the burn but will reopen after completion and safety clearance. Travelers on Summers County Rt. 7, Meadow Creek Road, may experience temporary delays during firing operations and smoke will be visible for a short duration. The burn is expected to take several hours to complete.

Fayette Man Sentenced For Clean Water Act Violations

Michael Graves, 68, of Charlton Heights, has been sentenced to one year of incarceration, to be served on home confinement as part of a five-year term of federal probation, and fined $10,000. His company, West Virginia Environmental Services (WVES), was fined $500,000 and placed on corporate probation for three years. These sentences were handed down for violations to the Clean Water Act.

For years, toxic water pollutants including arsenic, hexavalent chromium, and selenium were allowed to flow into Jarrett Branch, a tributary of the Kanawha River near Alloy, West Virginia. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued several warnings to the owner of the landfill who allowed it to happen, but those warnings were ignored.

Now, Michael Graves, 68, of Charlton Heights, has been sentenced to one year of incarceration, to be served on home confinement as part of a five-year term of federal probation, and fined $10,000. His company, West Virginia Environmental Services (WVES), was fined $500,000 and placed on corporate probation for three years. These sentences were handed down for violations to the Clean Water Act.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Graves and WVES owned and managed an industrial waste landfill in Fayette County. Graves and WVES were paid more than $9.8 million from 2006 to 2020 to accept industrial waste and treat the resulting leachate. Leachate is a contaminated liquid that passes through a landfill and includes toxic materials. It must be properly treated prior to discharge into a stream or tributary. No new waste was accepted at the Fayette County landfill after 2008, so the sole remaining task of Graves and WVES was to collect and treat the leachate.

Graves and WVES failed to maintain the landfill’s leachate collection for several years beginning in at least 2016. This failure on the part of Graves and WVES caused the discharge of leachate that contained toxic water pollutants into Jarrett Branch.

Inspectors from the DEP repeatedly documented the illegal discharges into Jarrett Branch, resulting in numerous notices of violations issued to Graves and WVES. The Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the landfill has since lapsed and has not been renewed.

“Mr. Graves and WVES continuously and repeatedly allowed discharges of untreated toxic industrial pollutants into the nation’s waters, despite having been paid millions of dollars to properly maintain the landfill,” U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said. “The defendants abused the public trust that accompanied the issuance of the discharge permit. This outcome, which includes the maximum possible fine against WVES, reflects the egregious nature and circumstances of the offenses and is necessary to promote respect for the law and to deter similar criminal conduct.”

Graves and WVES each pleaded guilty to one felony count of violation of the Clean Water Act on Feb. 22, 2023. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence.

Closure Order In Effect For Steep Valley Area Of New River Gorge

“It’s going to be closed for the foreseeable future,” Steep Valley Fire Public Information Officer Tom Engberg said Friday. “We know that it’s a popular hunting area in the zone where it is, but due to an abundance of caution for firefighter safety we’re going to keep it closed for now.”

The Steep Valley fire in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is now 81 percent contained.

Park officials said the fire, near Glen Jean in Fayette County, has not moved beyond Thursday’s 2,206 acres.

Steep Valley Fire Public Information Officer Tom Engberg said a closure order for the area will remain in effect until further notice for the War Ridge and Backus Mountain areas.

“It’s going to be closed for the foreseeable future,” Engberg said Friday. “We know that it’s a popular hunting area in the zone where it is, but due to an abundance of caution for firefighter safety we’re going to keep it closed for now.”

Engberg said at the peak of the fire 72 crews from around the country were on hand to help to fight the fire.

“We had a couple of crews from Michigan, there was a crew from Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New Jersey and we even had a crew from Oregon and private contractors as well,” Engberg said. “We had a pretty good response.”

Engberg said the area will continue to be monitored for remaining hotspots and park officials will reevaluate with fire management before a decision is made on reopening the area.

All National Park Service lands bounded by the New River on the south and west to the town of Quinnimont, due east along State Highway 41 to the intersection of Backus-Red Spring road, and directly south to the CSX railroad right of way at the river are included in the closure area.

The rest of the park remains open for normal hours of operation.

As precipitation moves into the area, air quality levels are expected to improve in the coming days.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Steep Valley Fire Near Glen Jean, W.Va. Burns Two Thousand Acres

The National Park Service said the Steep Valley fire was first reported on Monday, Nov. 6 and is now 78 percent contained. The fire continues to burn minimally in steep and rugged parts of inaccessible terrain.

The Steep Valley fire has burned more than 2200 acres of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

Hunters and visitors are advised to avoid the War Ridge and Backus Mountain areas near Meadow Bridge in Fayette County.

A helicopter was brought in on Wednesday to perform aerial water drops using water from the New River. On Thursday, crews continued to monitor existing fire lines with strategic controlled burns to burn out pockets of fuel to help strengthen existing lines.

“We appreciate all the dedicated crews and the countless hours they have put in while working the fire. We will continue to monitor the fire and focus on firefighter safety,” said Nate Orsburn, incident commander trainee for the Steep Valley Fire. “We would like to thank the community for their hospitality, support, and patience since the beginning of this challenging fire, it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

State Forester and Director of the WV Division of Forestry (WV DOF), Jeremy Jones said the public is asked to refrain from calling local county emergency services centers to make smoke complaints.

“This is an effort to reduce false alarm calls that can pull resources away from local volunteer fire departments,” Jones said. “However, if you see a fire or column of smoke rising from a specific place, please call 911 immediately.”

To date, only one minor injury to a firefighter has been reported. The cause of the Steep Valley fire remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, as of 10 a.m. Thursday morning, 33 firefighters remained on the site of a 100-acre fire just off Forest Road 947 in the Monongahela National Forest in Pocahontas County. They included crews from the Boise National Forest, Tonto National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Nevada Bureau of Land Management, and the Job Corps.

So far this year, West Virginia has experienced 916 fires, burning approximately 11,340 acres. One hundred and fourteen of those fires have happened since Oct. 1.

Monongahela National Forest Public Affairs Officer Kelly Bridges said the drier weather is fanning the flames.

“West Virginia’s having a very dry fall and in the afternoons when it heats up we’re getting down to really low humidities and that’s what can make these fires grow,” she said.

The National Weather Service said it has predicted rain for Friday.

Fall fire season started Oct. 1 and continues through Dec. 31. The WV DOF reminds residents to make sure all campfires are completely out when leaving an area. For burning guidelines visit West Virginia state fire laws.

For more information and updates on current fire conditions in West Virginia, visit InciWeb or the U.S. Forest Service – Monongahela Forest Facebook page.

County Officials Prepare To Request Federal Assistance For Communities Hit Hard By Floods

“We had no warning. The high river was our warning,” Carper said. “When the calls started coming to 911 and people were literally running out of their homes fleeing, and roads were being covered up, washed out, that was our warning. And then the National Weather Service put out just about the strongest alert they know how to put out for floods.”

The unofficial damage toll for communities hit the hardest by Monday and Tuesday’s floods will not be known for several days. And that’s if the weather cooperates.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said he has talked with people who have suffered devastating loss after up to nine inches of rain fell in a short span of time in some areas.

Carper said the unusual weather pattern created the perfect storm for areas already deluged by a downpour of rain on Saturday.

“They were already saturated, the creeks were full, ” Carper said. “There was nowhere for this massive amount of rain to go.”

While immediate rescue efforts by the National Guard and firefighters mitigated a potential loss of life, reports of damage to properties and homes is high. Carper said he sees the need to request federal assistance and attempt to meet the disaster declaration threshold to offset the flood damage.

“We’re going to work with our citizens, neighbors, friends, try to get federal assistance, work with Congress, with Senators Manchin and Capito, and Congresswoman Miller,” Carper said. “We always hear, ‘Well there weren’t that many deaths.’ Well, when someone loses everything they own, that is devastating.”

The Kanawha County Commission meanwhile has announced supply distribution points for flood victims at the following locations from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Belle Town Hall located at 1100 E Dupont Ave, Belle
Chesapeake Town Hall located at 12404 MacCorkle Ave SE, Chesapeake

Donations, specifically, contractor grade trash bags, bleach, push brooms, and shovels will be gratefully accepted. People are requested to not drop off clothing at these locations.

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department will be administering free tetanus vaccines in Belle this week for those affected by recent flooding.

The mobile shot clinic will be at the Belle Town Hall distribution site Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Floodwaters carry disease-causing organisms that can lead to serious illness or even death,” Dr. Steven Eshenaur, KCHD’s Health Officer said. “Foremost, stay out of the floodwaters. If you’ve already been in them or are conducting cleanup now, please make sure your tetanus shot is up to date”

Eshenaur said Tetanus is a serious disease but is easily preventable. “If you get a wound – small or large – tend to it immediately. Bacteria can invade your body through the smallest punctures and scratches.”

KCHD will have Environmental Health staff in the affected area this week to answer questions, test private and community wells, and help provide public health safety guidance for businesses so they can reopen as soon as possible.

Residents of homes with private or community wells are advised to contact KCHD for testing of any well, pump, springs, cisterns or pipes that have been exposed to floodwaters. Private water system testing of in-use wells serving flood-impacted homes will be free.

Call 304-348-8050 to make an appointment.