Flood mitigation efforts continue in southern West Virginia through a grant funded study by Marshall University.
The long-term project focuses on Rainelle in Greenbrier County, which has experienced significant flooding in the past 20 years. The Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] awarded more than $1 million to continue the study.
The research is exploring what kind of infrastructure Rainelle needs to prevent further flooding, which could include a system that transports excess water from the drainage basin into the Meadow River.
The Marshall University civil engineering department began studying flooding in the area in 2004. Through computer modeling they can simulate a flood, which helps the town prepare for resources needed in the case of a real flood. In fact, the department found that the 2004 flood simulation was nearly identical to the 2016 flood, which left five people dead and destroyed over 100 homes in Rainelle.
With the FEMA grant the team hopes to continue this research and eventually enable the city to install a stormwater management system.
Correction: This story was updated on 05/07/20 at 7:30 a.m. to correctly identify the name of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A second West Virginia resident has tested positive for coronavirus, one day after the governor confirmed the state’s first positive case. The individual…
The individual is being treated from home in Mercer County, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
As of Wednesday evening, the DHHR said the state has processed 148 tests in its lab, three of which are still pending. Those figures do not include commercial testing options, but if a hospital or private lab finds additional positive cases, the DHHR says it will relay the information to the public.
WVU Medicine announced five drive-thru testing sites in Morgantown, Parkersburg, Bridgeport, Wheeling, and Martinsburg, according to the Associated Press.
That announcement came after Gov. Jim Justice announced the state’s first confirmed case Tuesday evening in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County.
Flooding in the past week has once again consumed much of southern West Virginia, with Gov. Jim Justice signing a state of emergency proclamation for seven counties on Friday.
The flood washed out Chris Frazier’s basement in Yukon, McDowell County. High waters caused Frazier’s neighbor Missy Hagerman to monitor the safety of her house on one side of Dry Fork River, while her family worried about flooding in their house on the other side of the river, near Bartley.
Once the water receded it left trash hanging from trees along rivers and major roadways, a marker for how high the water reached and how far it traveled during the most recent flood to strike southern West Virginia.
Credit Emily Allen / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The Dry Fork River in Yukon, McDowell County, February 10, 2020.
Counties impacted so far include Fayette, Greenbrier, Logan, McDowell, Monroe, Raleigh and Wyoming. McDowell County officials issued a local state of emergency on Thursday before the governor’s proclamation.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the West Virginia National Guard announced plans to send members across the state, as the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management gears up for another long bout of heavy rain that could amount to more than an inch of water in various counties where the ground is already saturated.
Meteorologist Mike Zwier with the National Weather Service in Charleston said Tuesday the NWS is most concerned with creeks overflowing throughout the state and mudslides.
“You add that to places that have already had an inch or more that have fallen,” Zwier said.“A lot of areas of WV will have gotten two inches total.”
Last week, the National Weather Service reported that Welch and McDowell sustained the most recorded waterfall at 3.6 inches.
In Yukon, Wayne Crigger said he spent the weekend shoveling mud out of his driveway.
“I got up at ten that morning and it was already in the road,” Crigger recalled of the flood. “The water from the ditch was stopped up and it was in the road, and then by about 10:30, 11, it started getting into my yard and then it veered up all the way around my house. My basement flooded, my sister’s basement flooded.”
Crigger grew up in McDowell County, and he said he does not think he is going to leave, even though the area floods pretty regularly.
“I’ve been here every since I was little, young and stuff,” he said. “It’s the worst I’ve seen it in years. I haven’t seen it this bad in years. It hasn’t really got up enough to get into yards I think, since 2000.”
The McDowell County 911 Office said on Monday towns in the southernmost portion of the county were struck the hardest, those being Bradshaw, Berwind, English and War.
DHSEM Director Michael Todorovich reportedly traveled over the weekend, assessing the damage in the seven counties. DHSEM Spokeswoman Lora Lipscomb said Tuesday morning her office was still processing Todorovich’s findings for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the governor’s office.
Frazier said he and his neighbors had yet to hear what his county and the state were doing to help out.
“My whole basement all flooded out of here and everything,” Frazier said. “Every year’s the same thing. The deeper the water gets, the more flooded we get. And it’s hard to get anyone to do anything, really.”
Frazier said he is thinking of leaving McDowell County some time this year. He said he wishes his local government would work on building the infrastructure to deal with such constant flooding, and the river water that fills his and his neighbors basements every time.
“You know what flood water does to a house?” Frazier said. “It causes damage, it causes mold in the house. Stagnant water, especially.”
Not everyone in the seven-county area was seriously impacted by the flooding this time around, but many McDowell County residents recalled significant past floods.
Missy Hagerman lives in a painted white house with stairs out the front. She said there have been years when the water gets so high from the nearby river it covers her front steps.
“My house is fine this time, because State Roads came and fixed the drain up there,” she said, referring to state highway workers.
Usually, Hagerman said her husband and son end up clearing out the road storm drain.
The most recent flood to be highly publicized was the 2016 flood that resulted in 23 deaths and more than 4,000 structures that were either destroyed or somewhat damaged.
Communities in southern West Virginia are still rebuilding homes and schools four years later, and area lawmakers are still introducing and considering legislation related to the event.
Credit Emily Allen / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Goldie and Lacey Griffith in front of the Yukon Pentecostal Holiness Church in McDowell County, February 10, 2020. The church has served as a shelter and place for food for people affected in the region.
A recent report from West Virginia Public Broadcasting found a State Resiliency Office established by legislation in 2017 remains relatively inactive, leaving many communities unprepared as natural disasters worsen.
Lacey Griffith is a pastor at the Yukon Pentecostal Holiness Church. He said he has been preaching in McDowell county for more than 60 years, and he can recall bad floods all the way back to 1957.
He has also watched the coal industry dwindle and provide less jobs for people in the area. Without a lot of money coming out of or going into the area, Griffith said it is hard for people to rebuild every time, after every flood.
“Let me tell you about McDowell County,” Griffith said. “They are struggling. These people are struggling. They’re trying to live. It’s hard to live here.”
This story is part of West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Southern Coalfields Reporting Project which is supported by a grant from the National Coal Heritage Area Authority.
West Virginia emergency leaders reported Friday evening there have been two water rescues and one trailer park evacuation in southern West Virginia.
Gov. Jim Justice signed a proclamation Friday evening, declaring a state of emergency in seven southern counties hit hard by flooding this week.
The move is meant to free up state-level resources for Fayette, Greenbrier, Logan, Mcdowell, Monroe, Raleigh and Wyoming counties, according to a press release from the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
A trailer park was evacuated in Mercer County along West Virginia Route 10. According to the DHSEM, the American Red Cross is still searching for a place to house the evacuees.
The division reported there was one water rescue completed in Mercer for an individual who tried driving into the flood along West Virginia Route 19 after it had been closed.
In Kanawha County, volunteers rescued another person who had tried driving through a flooded roadway.
The West Virginia Division of Highways reported 45 road closures across nine southern counties as of Friday night.
Major road closures included West Virginia Route 10 to Spanishburg in Mercer and U.S. Route 52 at Crum in Wayne County. As waters rise at the Meadow and New rivers in Fayette County near the Gauley bridge, the DHSEM reported waters are reaching the nearby U.S. Route 60.
Both the Meadow and New rivers have crested. The DHSEM reported that the flood wave continues to move down the Tug Fork and Big Sandy rivers going toward Kentucky. Backwater flooding will fill low-lying roads throughout the night.
U.S. Interstate 64 is also still closed for bridge repairs near the town of Nitro.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation is posting all road conditions on its website.
DHSEM director, Mike Todorovich, plans to visit the seven-county area Saturday to report on the damage to Gov. Justice and the regional office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The West Virginia National Guard was stationed outside of a local fire department in War, McDowell County, earlier today. Members remain active in the affected region.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said there was an state of emergency issued for six counties. The emergency was issued for seven counties, those being Fayette, Greenbrier, Logan, Mcdowell, Monroe, Raleigh and Wyoming.
Flood waters in southern West Virginia are lower than they were yesterday and road conditions are improving, but emergency management officials say they are still monitoring the situation and remain active in the region.
The West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management reports the flood wave will continue moving down the involved rivers, including the Tug Fork River and the Bluestone River from Spanishburg in Mercer County to Pipestem in Summers County. Impacts will lessen as the wave moves downstream.
According to the National Weather Service, there’s still a flood warning around the Tug Fork River at Williamson, Mingo County, as well as in Mercer and Summers. It will last until at least Friday evening.
The DHSEM reported minor flooding on the New, Meadow and Coal rivers Friday.
The NWS also has issued a winter weather advisory for portions of central, northern, southern and western West Virginia. That entails 2 to 4 inches of heavy snow until 1 p.m.
The DHSEM is aware of roads still being closed in McDowell, and Wyoming counties. Mingo County has requested help from the Division of Highways for its roads.
On Thursday, McDowell County officials issued a State of Emergency for the area, freeing up state resources from the DHSEM and the West Virginia National Guard, the latter of which was stationed outside a fire station in War, McDowell, to provide resources as they are requested.
Welch, McDowell received the greatest amount of rain on Thursday, at 3.36 inches. Eight roads remain closed.
In Wyoming County there are roughly 300 residences without power and five roads closed, according to the DHSEM.
The State Emergency Operations Center remains partially activated, after a request from Gov. Jim Justice on Thursday. The American Red Cross and the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster are available to assist state and local emergency operations throughout the day as requests are made.
Snow from Friday morning will and scattered showers throughout the day could lead to 1 to 3 inches of snow and water in the lowlands and 3 to 7 inches in the mountains.
The DHSEM reported warming temperatures in lower elevations during the day could help improve roads, while lower temperatures tonight could create icy road conditions.
Rainfall across the southern part of West Virginia has led to multiple road closures, and at least one community in Raleigh County has been evacuated.
According to a press release from the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, McDowell and Raleigh counties are reporting the most serious impact from Thursday’s rainfall.
McDowell County has declared a State of Emergency and water continues to rise in the War and Coalwood areas. An Emergency Operations Center has been established in Welch to coordinate rescue efforts and aid to residents. The West Virginia National Guard has dispatched two high water vehicles to McDowell County and maintains coordination with DHSEM for any resource requests. Swift Water Rescue Teams are on standby for quick deployment.
In Raleigh County, Violet Street in Beaver was evacuated due to high water and runoff in roads and around homes. The access road to the Raleigh Center in Daniels washed out and residents are sheltering in place. The Center can be accessed by foot and a contractor is creating another access road.
Fayette and Greenbrier counties report localized flooding and some roads impassable due to high water. Monroe, Summers and Wyoming counties report nuisance flooding but require no assistance.
The Department of Transportation reports many roads in the southern counties remain closed due to high water or mudslides.
According to the National Weather Service, flooding will continue along creeks and streams in southern West Virginia. There will be some flooding along the Tug Fork and Bluestone Rivers, and notable rises along Guyandotte and New Rivers. Most rivers are predicted to crest tonight into Friday. Rain will begin changing to snow across the state overnight and may impact the morning commute, especially in the mountainous areas and northern counties. There is a slight chance for higher snowfall with this system. Please continue to monitor weather updates for your area.
Governor Jim Justice has directed the state Emergency Operations Center to remain at partial activation status, which means emergency responders are monitoring flooded areas and coordinating response efforts across multiple state agencies and local jurisdictions.
Updated 2/06/20 4:25 p.m.
Heavy rain is leading to high waters across the southern region of the state, and several side roads have become impassable. McDowell emergency management leaders issued a local state of emergency this morning. Officials say the Red Cross is on site at the local emergency operations center in Welch, and the West Virginia National Guard is sending a heavy duty vehicle to assist.
The department of natural resources has also dispatched a swift water boat to Welch to work alongside the Sherriff’s office in case the high waters get worse and people need to be evacuated from their homes.
The Department of Transportation says eastbound traffic at the Interstate 64 bridge over the Kanawha River near Nitro was rerouted Thursday as crews assessed the damage to a failed expansion joint and made plans for repairs. The eastbound side of the bridge will be closed until at least Friday morning.
⚠ All East Bound Lanes of I64 at the 44 Mile Marker are shut down due to a hole in the bridge. All East Bound Traffic will have to exit at the Saint Albans. Per The Department of Highways it will be shut down until tomorrow morning (Friday February 7th).
McDowell County leaders issued a local state of emergency Thursday morning, freeing up state resources for local emergency management officials to use as they address flooding.
On Thursday morning, spokeswoman Lora Lipscomb for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said a couple state officials were on the way to McDowell County to help facilitate local responses. Should McDowell County request it, the West Virginia National Guard will also send assistance.
As of 11 a.m. Lipscomb said she was not aware of any other counties issuing their own state of emergency. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties on Thursday.
The NWS issues flood warnings for areas where hazardous weather conditions are active or imminent. The agency also issued a flood watch, meaning conditions are possible, for Boone, Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Logan, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas and Raleigh counties.
Gov. Jim Justice called on the state to partially activate its State Emergency Operations Center on Thursday. That includes the West Virginia Division of Highways, the West Virginia Intelligence Fusion Center, the West Virginia National Guard, the Red Cross and the National Weather Service.
