West Virginia University’s Student Government Association is heading to southern West Virginia for flood cleanup efforts.
As part of its annual leadership retreat, the SGA plans to travel to Rainelle on Monday and Tuesday to lead multiple volunteer groups.
WVU SGA president Julie Merow says the retreat is an important time for planning, team building and gearing up for the school year.
Some of the worst destruction from the late June floods occurred in Rainelle. Twenty-three people died in the floods statewide, including 15 in Greenbrier County.
Not only were homes and businesses impacted by flood waters last month, but public libraries suffered as well.
Five feet of flood water destroyed the Rainelle Public library’s entire print and digital collections. According to a press release from the West Virginia Library Commission, the Clendenin Public Library was declared a catastrophe. Flood waters forced out windows and left 8 inches of mud throughout the building. All books were destroyed, and the structural integrity of the facility is in doubt.
It’s estimated that it could take several months to get the libraries back up and running. Clay County Public Library also suffered damage in the basement of the facility, ruining computers and the heating and cooling system.
Books-A-Million stores in the state are supporting flood relief efforts to rebuild the collections, A portion of sales on Saturday July 16th will go to the state Library Commission. The commission is also looking for donations of money and man power to help clean up the libraries.
Three people have been arrested for taking donated items while falsely claiming to be flood victims.
Sgt. C.R. Johnson of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources tells WVVA-TV that a recent anonymous tip lead the department to investigate siblings Eric Stone, Diane Stone and Marcia Stone of Rupert.
Johnson says the three suspects live in an upstairs apartment and were not impacted by the flooding. However, he says they took cleaning supplies, bed sheets, pillows and pet food from a Rainelle distribution center.
The three have been charged with obtaining services under false pretenses.
The Greenbrier Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation.
It wasn’t immediately clear if any of the suspects have attorneys.
The town of Rainelle, a town of about 1,500 people, was largely evacuated last Thursday because of the flood. Water rose about 5 ft. in parts of the town, damaging businesses, homes, and the library. Fred Fryar was one of the evacuees. He’s the pastor of Sewell Valley Baptist Church. Two days later, he was working on cleaning his home.
Fred Fryar’s front lawn was covered in mud as he was carrying most of he and his wife’s furniture, clothes, and personal belongings out to the curb. Most of it had been destroyed.
But he had a smile on his face. Because, he said, “you get to the place where laughing is what you can do about it,” said Fryar. He lost at least two church members who passed away in the flood. He says he’s lucky to be alive.
He called 911 four times to be rescued. Emergency responders were dealing with evacuations all over Greenbrier County that night. Volunteers came to help from all over the state. Members of Fryar’s church knew he was stranded, so they found two volunteers who had brought their personal John boat. Fryar didn’t know if anyone was coming. It was dark. The water was up to his chest.
His neighbor 79-year-old Helen Hanson was also trapped.
Hanson says she was praying all day long for help to come.
“I finally decided when it started to get dark, ‘Lord you have completely forgotten about me.’”
Then around 11 at night, Fryer saw the John boat moving down the street towards them.
“So I hollered at her, and said the boat’s comin, the boat’s comin.”
Fred Fryar is the pastor of Sewell Valley Baptist Church.
Fryar says there were so many people who were scared and stuck in their homes. Not all of them survived.
He says he heard “people hollering ‘help help’ that night, older people that needed some help and knew that if they didn’t get it they were done for.”
Helen Hanson was about to give up. She decided she would if the water reached the back of her neck.
“I was just going to let it put me under the water. Cause I knew that’s what’s gonna happen. And it’s not a very good feeling,” Hanson remembers.
“The water was cold and it kept getting colder on my legs. It kept getting colder and colder, and it was terrible. But the good Lord was with me.”
Not long after Hanson considered giving up, the volunteers arrived. Fred Fryer told her to rescue Hanson first. They carried her into their boat.
They had to lift her into the boat because she could hardly use her legs.
Neither Hanson nor Fryar found out the names of the two guys who rescued them. If it hadn’t been for them, they both say they don’t know if they would have been saved in time.
“People in West Virginia’s just good like that. And they’re ready to help. And some of them don’t even know you, but they’re ready to help,” said Fryar.
For the next few days, Fryar and his wife, and Helen Hanson have been staying with members of Fryar’s church, who live in Meadowbridge.
Like most of the displaced people from Rainelle, they’re waiting to see what happens once FEMA arrives.
“Things are lookin up. God is so good to us. He said he would work things out to our good … I don’t know how he’s gonna do that, but he’s gonna do it,” Fryar said, choking back tears.
A day after he was interviewed, Fryar did receive some good news. He and his wife Kathy were offered a temporary home in Rainelle. The home is owned by Helen Hanson’s family. Hanson plans to go there too, and the three of them will be able to stay there as long as it takes to rebuild their homes.
The Local Foods, Local Places partnership is a yearly federal award to communities around the country to help integrate local food strategies into economic development efforts. The award was given to six Appalachian communities in 2016, including one in West Virginia.
The initiative started in 2014 as part of the White House Rural Council’s work to support communities that want to make local foods a stronger part of the local economy. There are now 60 Local Foods, Local Places partnerships across the country. More than a third are in Appalachia, including four in West Virginia.
The award includes a financial grant of up to 20,000 dollars and access to federal consultants.
The newest West Virginia community to receive the grant is Rainelle. The community plans on establishing a mentorship program for local farmers and producers, developing a community grocery story and converting vacant lots into agricultural production.
Previous awards have gone to West Virginia communities in Wheeling, Williamson and Huntington.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.
