Tag: State of Emergency

Justice Expands Storm Emergency Declaration To 8 New Counties

On Thursday, Gov. Jim Justice expanded a state of emergency declaration to include seven additional West Virginia counties: Barbour, Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Wetzel and Wood counties.

Updated on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 12:15 p.m.

On Monday, Gov. Jim Justice expanded last week’s state of emergency declaration to include Pleasants County.

Justice cited “severe thunderstorms” that caused “flooding, downed trees, power outages and road blockages” for the local community last week in a Monday press release.

With the expanded declaration, a state of emergency is now in place for 15 counties across the state in response to the storms.

Original Story: Justice Expands Storm Emergency Declaration To 7 New Counties

Gov. Jim Justice expanded a Tuesday state of emergency declaration to include seven additional West Virginia counties on Thursday.

Under the amended declaration, Barbour, Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Wetzel and Wood counties are now under a state of emergency.

They join Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln and Nicholas counties, which received the declaration earlier this week.

The emergency declaration follows intense storms that stretched across West Virginia, bringing power outages, structural damages and even an EF-2 tornado in Fayette County, with winds of 130 mph.

By expanding the emergency declaration, Justice opened new counties up to emergency response resources.

Meanwhile, a state of preparedness declaration that Justice issued on Tuesday remains in effect for all 55 counties in the state.

A step down from a state of emergency, this declaration still encourages residents to stay vigilant regarding public safety concerns.

For additional information on the storms, visit the National Weather Service website.

Residents seeking non-emergency assistance related to the storms can contact local dispatchers through the West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WVEMD). Visit the WVEMD website for more information.

Justice Declares State Of Emergency, Sweeping Storms Cause Power Outages

A powerful line of storms rolled across West Virginia on Tuesday, knocking down trees and powerlines. The storms brought power outages for more than 100,000 residents across the state.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Updated on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 3:20 p.m.

Gov. Justice has declared a State of Emergency for Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln and Nicholas counties Tuesday due to severe thunderstorms with high winds, which caused flooding, downed trees, power outages, and road blockages.

The declaration is a proactive measure ensuring the allocation of necessary resources and expedition of emergency response efforts. The State of Emergency allows State and Local agencies to take swift and decisive actions to mitigate the impact of the storms and protect the lives and property of West Virginians.

Original Story: Sweeping Storms Spur Tornado Watch, Power Outages

A powerful line of storms rolled across West Virginia on Tuesday, knocking down trees and powerlines.

According to the National Weather Service, several rounds of thunderstorms are expected to continue into the night.

The storms could also bring “damaging winds, large hail, flash flooding and tornadoes,” the National Weather Service reported.

Storms will hit central West Virginia between 4 and 9 p.m. and move east.

In response to the storms, Marshall University closed its campuses for the remainder of the day Tuesday afternoon.

In West Virginia, storms knocked down trees and powerlines throughout Tuesday, bringing tornado and thunderstorm advisories to counties across the state.

Graphic Credit: National Weather Service

Emergency alerts and sirens sounded across Kanawha County Tuesday morning, as thirteen counties in southwestern West Virginia were placed under a tornado watch.

The Kanawha County Commission issued a state of emergency over the storms Tuesday afternoon. In a press release, the commission said 911 dispatchers had received more than 500 calls regarding the tornado warning that morning.

“Metro received calls regarding structure collapses, entrapments, vehicle wrecks, fires, fallen trees, and many medical calls,” the press release read. “There [have] been reported touch downs of tornadoes in the western portion of the county, but no confirmation at this time.”

As of 12:30 p.m., Appalachian Power reported 118,000 power outages, 53,000 of them in Kanawha County alone.

The commission urged Gov. Jim Justice to issue Kanawha County a state of emergency over the weather.

For additional updates on the storms, visit the National Weather Service website.

Winter Weather Covers West Virginia

West Virginia is under a Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service and a State of Emergency from Gov. Jim Justice.

The entire state of West Virginia is under either a winter weather advisory or a winter storm warning.

“We have got a winter storm warning for much of our forecast area,” Simone Lewis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Charleston, said. “So pretty much the whole state of West Virginia has either got a winter storm warning or a winter weather advisory and that’s for late this evening, lasting through Saturday morning.”

Starting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 18 and lasting through 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Jan. 20 heavy snow is expected with a possible accumulation of four to 12 inches, depending on the region.

“We are expecting a general four to six inches, and that includes down in the southern coalfields also. And then once you get into the mountainous counties, we’re expecting eight to 12 inches,” Lewis said.

Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for all 55 West Virginia counties ahead of the storm on Thursday afternoon. The State of Emergency allows state agencies to coordinate ahead of a possible weather event, including by pre-positioning personnel, vehicles, equipment and other assets.

“All West Virginians need to absolutely be ready for the potential impact this winter storm may bring to our state,” Justice said. “West Virginians should pay extra close attention to emergency officials and media outlets, and be prepared if there are power outages. West Virginians take care of one another, so make sure you check on your neighbors and loved ones, too.”

The wind chill is expected to be 16 degrees on Friday before it drops to -2 degrees on Saturday morning. Lewis said by Saturday, the heaviest accumulations will generally be over with.

“It’d be probably about mid to late evening and lasting through much of the day Friday,” Lewis said. “Saturday, the system will start to pull off to the east, but we will continue to see some lingering light snow shower activity across the state.”

The West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WV EMD) has been placed on standby to support the State Emergency Operations Center should the need arise.

EMD has posted non-emergency numbers for each county 911 center.

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) crew continues their snow removal and ice control operations. 

“We are prepared for any snowfall event, whether it’s an inch of snow or a foot of snow,” said Joe Pack, P.E., WVDOH chief engineer of District Operations. “We attack each storm with the same level of importance of having every available truck on the road, with a driver in it, plow mounted on it, and salt in the back.”

Statewide, WVDOH has a stockpile of more than 231,000 tons of salt. A typical snowplow holds 12 tons of salt, enough to treat about 100 lane miles of road.

State Of Emergency Declared For Charleston’s West Side Following Natural Gas Outage

A state of emergency has been declared in West Virginia’s state capital due to a gas outage that has left more than 1,000 families without heat, hot water or working stoves.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

A state of emergency has been declared in West Virginia’s state capital due to a natural gas outage that has left more than 1,000 families without heat, hot water or working stoves.

Gov. Jim Justice announced the National Guard has been activated to assist in providing resources to Charleston’s West Side neighborhoods.

Residents of the affected area are predominantly people of color living in a lower-income community.

The outage may have originated from a burst water pipe late last week, according to officials, that flooded the gas lines. The state’s Public Service Commission is investigating the cause.

Mountaineer Gas Company said a high-pressure water main break infiltrated the gas distribution system in that area on Nov. 10, 2023. The company reported that it has made progress on removing water from its 46 miles of natural gas lines in the West Side. Full restoration of natural gas services is anticipated within the next seven days, according to a release. 

“I have spoken with the vice president of Mountaineer Gas, and we’re closely following their progress in restoring service to families,” Justice said. “From what I understand, it is no easy task, but they expressed they are diligently working to get gas turned back on as fast as possible. I have offered any state resources they may need to assist them.”

This will not be an easy or quick fix, according to Justice, so meals will be provided through various local charities, including senior centers and churches, in the coming weeks.

“The other big problem is making sure people are fed hot meals, especially through the Thanksgiving holiday next week,” Justice said. “We have both Kanawha Valley Senior Center and Lincoln County Senior Center pitching in to provide hundreds of meals. We are also working with West Virginia Health Right and A More Excellent Way Life Center Church on the West Side to take care of families. If this outage continues through Thanksgiving, we will make sure families are fed.”

Working with the West Virginia Emergency Management Division, Kanawha County Emergency Management, and the City of Charleston, the guard will be delivering bottled water along with various warming and cooking supplies to the West Virginia Health Right West Side Clinic located at 511 Central Avenue, Charleston on Thursday morning, Nov. 16, 2023. The time is yet to be determined.

Mountaineer Gas told the Gazette-Mail on Wednesday that customers will be receiving credits on their bills, although the credit may not apply until a future bill.

State Of Emergency Declared For Hampshire County Special Education

The review identified issues with administrative processes, incomplete, incorrect or out-of-date Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and inconsistencies in special education curriculum across the county. 

The West Virginia Board of Education has issued a state of emergency for Special Education Services in Hampshire County Schools. 

The West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Accountability conducted a Special Circumstance Review in September of Hampshire County Schools following a “lack of progress” over a three-year period on an improvement plan that was developed for the county. 

That plan included increased monitoring and technical assistance from the state, but the state board said sufficient progress wasn’t made during that time. 

The September review identified issues with administrative processes, incomplete, incorrect or out-of-date Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and inconsistencies in special education curriculum across the county. 

The review also identified inexperienced, uncertified or long-term substitute teachers in special education roles. And three schools in the county do not have any certified special education teachers. The review noted, however, that the county reported finding it challenging to recruit and retain certified staff.

State Superintendent of Schools Michele Blatt was directed by the state board to appoint designees who will coordinate on-site school improvement efforts. 

The county will have six months from the time it receives recommendations to make changes before the state board considers additional action, according to a news release.

This designation joins recent state of emergencies issued by the West Virginia Board of Education in Upshur and Logan County Schools. Both school systems were taken over by the state board after investigations by the West Virginia Department of Education discovered financial misconduct.

Flooded Communities Face Uncertainty With More Rain On The Way

Flooding throughout the day Monday caused significant damage to roads, houses and bridges in central and southern West Virginia. There have been no deaths reported so far due to flooding. Officials are still working to assess damage. Many houses were flooded, and some were washed away.

Updated on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.

Flooding throughout the day caused significant damage to roads, houses and bridges in central and southern West Virginia.

There have been no deaths reported so far due to flooding. Officials are still working to assess damage. Many houses were flooded and some were washed away.

Communities along Witcher Creek, Slaughter Creek and Fields Creek saw some of the most significant flooding. Waters have  retreated back to creeks and rivers — where flows remain dangerously high. However, with more rain likely this evening and tomorrow, flood advisories remain active.

The National Weather Service said another inch of rain could be on the way Monday night.

Kanawha County Commissioner Lance Wheeler was at the Emergency Operations Center at Kanawha County Metro 911. He said fire departments in Charleston and Fayette and Cabell counties are waiting to see what the weather does, and where the water goes.

“Everybody’s still on standby. They are looking at what water is coming and what it’s going to look like and if there are going to be more evacuations necessary,” said Wheeler.

Wheeler said this amount of rainfall — 6-9 inches in affected areas — coupled with already saturated soil from a rainy weekend made the floods an especially dangerous situation.

“So, the flooding has been enormous at this point,” he said. “If there’s anyone out there who thinks that this is just a small flood that hit this area, they’re drastically wrong.” 

Kanawha County officials say that from 6:45 a.m., when the Kanawha County Metro 911 started receiving calls, until 4 p.m., there were more than 700 calls and 22 water rescues. Assessors have not released official numbers, but Wheeler said that around 60 homes were washed away in the floods.

Jenna Sigmon lives along one of the most heavily flooded creeks, Slaughter Creek, and said she is used to floods, but this one is one of the worst she has ever seen.

“It was like kind of crazy, because we just woke up this morning and there was massive floods,” she said. “And the water came up over the bank all into our yard.”

Her house was flooded. Sigmon went over to a neighbor’s house across the road to get away from the water, but the water ended up crossing the street over to that house as well.

“It just kept rising and rising. Like two feet within ten minutes,” said Sigmon.

The water did eventually recede, but her yard and others around were bogged with water. She said she was expecting a flood, but not one this bad.

If you or anyone you know needs assistance escaping flooding, call 911 or (304) 348–8111 to reach the Metro 911 Emergency flood line.

Original Post: Flash Flood Emergency Declared In Several W.Va. Counties

The National Weather Service Monday issued a flash flood emergency for Kanawha County that is considered life threatening. It also issued flash flood warnings for parts of Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, and Roane counties. The National Weather Service says residents should seek higher ground and avoid flooded areas.

Gov. Jim Justice declared a State of Emergency in those counties. Heavy rainfall over the weekend and throughout Monday morning has caused flash floods that have damaged homes, roads, and bridges in affected areas. There are reports of high water along Witcher Creek in eastern Kanawha County.

The West Virginia Emergency Management Division has implemented an emergency plan to mobilize appropriate personnel and resources to respond to the emergency. 

The National Guard is working to prepare for emergency dispatch with arial assets like helicopters, swift water rescues teams, and extra personnel. Kanawha County’s Emergency Operations Center is actively working to assist with water rescues and other emergency assistance. 

The West Virginia Division of Highways is working to assist residents and clear the road from culverts, mudslides, and other damage from heavy rains throughout affected counties. Mudslides closed both lanes of US 60 in Belle and on the West Virginia Turnpike near Chelyan at Mile Marker 85.5 where the southbound right lane is closed.

FEMA, local officials, and other organizations are also working to offer aid to residents needing assistance.

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