West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Telling West Virginia's Story
Last year, we spoke with Keith Thompson and his mother Gerda right after the flood. Keith’s dad Edward passed away from complications of hypothermia after being in floodwaters for several hours. Inside Appalachia host Jessica Lilly went back to Rainelle to see how things have changed since the flood. She found that for Keith, the flood was just the beginning of his heartaches in the past year.
This video is part of a 30 minute TV special, “Inside Appalachia: A Year of Recovery.”
There is more to recovery than physically rebuilding a house, or a building. Communities are also recovering mentally and emotionally. Dr. Carol Smith is a Professor of Counseling at Marshall University, says finding basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter is just the beginning.
Inside Appalachia co-producer and host Jessica Lilly sat down with Dr. Carol Smith to discuss the year of mental and emotional recovery that West Virginia faced since the flooding of June 2016. Parts of this interview are included in a special TV show, “Inside Appalachia: A Year of Recovery.” You can watch the show Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. on WVPB or listen on radio.
In the days and weeks after the flood, the words, “West Virginia strong” rang out on signs and across social media. But Dr. Smith says, if you’re having a hard time coping, even to this day, it doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you’re human.
Watch the full interview here:
Inside Appalachia co-producer and host Jessica Lilly sat down with Major General James A. Hoyer of the WV National Guard to discuss the year of recovery that West Virginia faced since the flooding of June 2016. Parts of this interview are included in a special TV show, “Inside Appalachia: A Year of Recovery.” You can watch the show Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. on WVPB or listen on radio.
In June 2016, floodwaters ravaged parts of West Virginia. Forty-four of the state’s 55 counties were in a state of emergency and 12 counties were declared federal disaster areas. Water carved a path of destruction unseen in generations – earning the title of the 1,000 Year Flood. Twenty-three deaths were attributed to the flood.
Watch the full interview here:
At the height of this disaster, FEMA received about 9,000 applications for assistance. In this interview, Major General James A. Hoyer says W.Va. is doing “pretty good” in the recovery process.
"We are in one lap of a very long race and we’ve got a long way to go… We owe it to the people who lost their lives and the people who were impacted by this to do it right and to do it effectively and to do it in a way that we are a better state and we are better communities than before the flood happened," Major General Hoyer said.
While there are several counties mostly back to normal, Hoyer says there are some areas that still have a long way to go. Areas that still have the most work left to do include parts of Nicholas, Kanawha, Greenbrier, and Clay Counties.
Benefits of the Flood
The West Virginia National Guard has been overseeing the FEMA demolition project. Hoyer says in connection with some state funding, the FEMA demolition project has provided the resources to take care of existing issues with abandoned buildings.
FEMA Demolition Project By Numbers
Readying for the Next Disaster
Major General Hoyer told Jessica Lilly that several guards people were impacted by the flood. This created a unique challenge because they often wouldn’t take the time to off to work on their own needs.
Since the flood, the West Virginia National Guard has updated a few strategies in disaster relief.
Friday June 23rd marks the one year anniversary of the 1,000 year floods, which left 23 dead in West Virginia and thousands of homes and businesses destroyed. West Virginia Public Broadcasting is spending the next few days hearing from some of the people who were affected by the flood, and hearing how residents are rebuilding their communities.
In a quiet neighborhood in Rainelle, John Wyatt just completed renovations on his one story home. Volunteer workers with the faith-based Appalachian Service Project spent the past year helping put up drywall, cleaning out the mud, putting on a new porch, and making the house livable again.
But he still can’t shake the memories of that tragic night, when he joined the rescue operations, paddling a rescue boat, and saving people who were trapped in the flood waters.
“As time goes on, we’re struggling to get through the after effects of what went on during the flood, when you guys filmed me after the flood, and you were filming me then, and I was talking about how I could hear those cries of the people in the dark.”
15 people died in Greenbrier County during the flood. Many of them were Wyatt’s friends and neighbors in Rainelle.
A video of this story will be featured in a new 30 minute Inside Appalachia TV episode about the 1000 year flood in West Virginia. Watch it June 20th at 6:30 on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
“And for weeks and weeks you know, that was something I’d wake in the middle of the night and I would think about that.”
Wyatt was one of those who escaped the flood with his life but lost all his possessions, including his musical instruments and years of recorded oral histories with his family and friends.
"It's a little frightening to look at our town. I know where each person lived, so many of them, and those houses are gone now."- John Wyatt
This past year, he’s been so busy working on his home, and volunteering to help other people, he hasn’t had a lot of energy to do the things he used to do, like play music, or sit on his back porch and relax over a cup of coffee.
Wyatt isn’t the only one who’s trying to get back to normal. More than one hundred and twenty homeowners in Rainelle have applied to FEMA for help demolishing their damaged homes. That’s a huge loss for a community with just under 1,500 people.
Wyatt drives through town, pointing out the homes that were lost. “It’s a little frightening to look at our town. I know where each person lived, so many of them, and those houses are gone now,” said Wyatt. “I’m the only house left in this entire block. And all the other homes, seven or eight of them are gone.”
Across town from John Wyatt, Sharon G Martin has just moved into a small, one-bedroom apartment. She lost her home in the flood, and she’s been living with family for the past year.
Dave Lumsden, chairman of the Greater Greenbrier Longterm recovery Committee, delivered a new donated mattress and a box spring to her new apartment.
The Greater Greenbrier Longterm Recovery Committee is a local organization that helps coordinate resources to help flood victims, like Martin.
Her face is worn with worry from the past year, but her bright green eyes are shining as she realizes she won’t have to sleep on the floor tonight. “I’ve always been a positive thinker. So I always have faith and hope for the best. And things are falling in place. I’m happy. It’s better now, and it’s getting better,” Martin said, looking over her new furniture that charity groups had donated.
Martin has been waiting to get an apartment for the past 10 months while she stayed with her daughter.
Others had to leave Rainelle, or West Virginia, to try to settle someplace new.
John Wyatt said he’s watched some of his close friends move away.
“I pastor a small church outside of Rainelle, and we’re down to just bare minimum. We were a small church before the flood, but we’re a really small church now since the flood. Because we’ve had people that moved away.”
Rainelle was struggling economically before the flood. With the decline in the timber industry, many jobs here have disappeared over the past fifty years.
But, Wyatt said, there’s a positive change in the air too, something he hasn’t seen in decades. “I do see something happening that wasn’t happening before the flood. I see people working together, and I see the community coming together.”
Thousands of volunteers have poured into Rainelle this past year, most of them from out of state.
“Not only did they come in and hang sheet rock and paint houses and do all the work that they’ve done, but they brought hope to people again,” said Wyatt.
Rebuilding this town will take years. Wyatt said he’s looking forward to volunteering again next year with the Appalachian Service Project, as they continue to help people who lost their homes in the flood.
What were the top stories in West Virginia from 2016? We searched our archives from the past year and compiled this list of the most popular stories.
As we cap off 2016, West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s producers and programs share their most memorable moments of the year. Find each of our Best of 2016 posts at wvpublic.org/term/best-2016.
10. Chlorine Leak from Axiall Corp. Sends Two to Hospital, Evacuates Communities
Two people were transported to hospitals for inhalation injuries, others were treated at the site of a reported chlorine leak in Marshall County.
9. Governor Tomblin Signs Budget that Taps Reserves
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed that took $147.5 million from the state’s $922 million Rainy Day Fund to cover a projected shortfall.
8. Blankenship Gets One Year in Prison, One Year Supervised Release, $250,000 Fine
Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was sentenced to the maximum one year in prison and another year of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy at the company to skirt mine safety standards.
7. Ohio Man Arrested in Connection with Huntington Overdoses
An Akron, Ohio man was arrested connection with a rash of overdoses in Huntington. Emergency crews responded to 26 overdoses in a four-hour span and two people died in connection with the same batch of heroin distributed in the city.
6. W.Va. Medicaid Doctors Put on Alert as State’s Cash Flows Dwindle
More than 24,000 doctors across West Virginia who accept Medicaid were put on alert Monday that the state may not be able to “continue to process claims at the same consistent level.”
5. PEIA Board Approves $120 Million in Cuts for Second Time
the state Public Employees Insurance Agency, or PEIA, Finance Board voted unanimously to reinstate benefit cuts, affecting health care costs for some 230,000 West Virginians.
4. Common Core, School Calendar Bills Vetoed
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed two education bills, one that would have repealed Common Core aligned standardized tests in the state and a second that would have allowed county boards to schedule fewer then 180 days in their school calendars.
3. West Virginia Senate Approves ‘Brunch Bill’
Senators unanimously passed a bill that would move the start of Sunday alcohol sales from 1 p.m. to 10 a.m.
From the primary elections in May to the general election in November, election stories were constant sources of headlines in 2016. Here were the top posts:
Live Blog: 2016 West Virginia Primary
10 Takeaways from the W.Va. Primary Election
‘Trump Digs Coal’ at Charleston Rally
Election 2016: West Virginia Goes For Trump, Justice Wins, State Legislature Remains with GOP
Heavy flooding in West Virginia during June claimed 23 lives, destroyed more than 4,000 homes and businesses and resulted in 10 counties being declared federal disaster area. Through statewide coverage and individual stories, this disaster produced the most compelling stories of 2016
Flooding in Richwood: Image Gallery
Greenbrier Resort Opens Doors to Flood Victims
‘I Almost Gave Up’: Flood Survivor Remembers the Voice Who Saved Her
Inside Appalachia: West Virginia’s 1,000 Year Flood
You’ve now experienced 2016 through West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Make sure to follow @wvpublic on social media and sign-up for our email newsletter to keep up with 2017’s stories.
The USDA estimates that 6,000 West Virginia farmers suffered damage as a result of the flooding in late June. Farmers lost over $3 million worth of crops,…
The USDA estimates that 6,000 West Virginia farmers suffered damage as a result of the flooding in late June. Farmers lost over $3 million worth of crops, livestock, and fencing. But more than the monetary cost- there’s also an emotional toll that’s affecting some of these farmers. One couple in Greenbrier County says they almost gave up after losing two dozen of their rabbits, and all of their vegetable crops, in the high water.
Caroline Smith is smiling as she holds a tiny charcoal-colored bunny close to her chest.
This bunny was part of a litter that was born just 2 weeks after the flood. It’s mother was one of the few females to survive.
Another survivor rabbit is a plump silver bunny named Joplin who managed to swim, or float, fifty feet from her cage during the flood. Caroline and her husband Michael Buttrill raise these meat rabbits on their small farm, called Bootstraps Farm, located in an area of Greenbrier County that’s heavily logged.
Caroline and Michael admit that farming hasn’t been the most lucrative career path. They invested about $140,000 into the land and equipment. They’re able to scrape by and pay the bills partly because Caroline works two part time jobs off the farm. They’ve put all of their savings and most of their free time into this farm. Then in June, they lost it all to the flood.
“It’s been extremely difficult. These are the most challenging things we’ve ever been through, easily,” said Michael Buttrill.
Michael and Caroline were spending a rare weekend out of town at a family reunion when waters began to rise. Back at home, their neighbor drowned, and their farm was submerged in water.
Michael says their friends called and tried to prepare them for what lay ahead.
“I thought, ok, I’ll prepare myself, I’ll expect the worst and hope for the best as you try to do. I tried to think about the worst and it didn’t even come close. Our valley was the Mississippi river for about three hours, and our lives were in between the banks. “
Michael and Caroline lost thousands of dollars in tools and equipment. Their greenhouse- gone. The topsoil in their garden was washed down the valley.
But worst of all, Michael says he almost lost his will to farm.
“I expect this to happen again in 50 years. And I kind of feel foolish now. You know, I feel like…why…am I living here? Why am I building this organic farm in a drainpipe? And I don’t want to feel that way.. but you got to face the facts.”
Rick Snuffer is the state executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in West Virginia. He’s talked with farmers who, like Michael, have been beaten down by this flood.
His agency has requested $3 million from the federal government to help compensate farmers who lost livestock, crops, fencing in the floods. But that money has not been released yet. Snuffer says they hope to being granting compensation to farmers in about a month.
Out-of-state farmers have also pitched in to help. Many are offering hay and animal feed to support West Virginia farmers. The FSA is working to coordinate those donations to farmers whose animals need food this winter.
A month after the flood, a FSA employee visited Michael and Caroline on Bootstrap farm. The assistance worker helped Michael fill out a claim to help pay for some of their losses. Michael and Caroline also received a $500 check from Farm Aid.
Still, the biggest help came from a go fund me campaign that their friends started online. Michael says it’s giving them more than just money. “There was a time there right after the flood when I thought, I’m moving, I’m giving up. But I said, all these people believe in what we’re doing. I can’t give up. I’m gonna stay.”
So Bootstraps farm is starting to come back. Caroline and Michael have replanted their garden, and as long as they don’t get an early frost, they’re hoping to be able to sell vegetables throughout the autumn harvest. And they’ve learned from this flood. They’ve moved their rabbit hutches higher in the air, and they hope that next time, they’ll be able to protect their bunnies from flood waters.
Farmers who want more information about how to file claims for crop or livestock damages from the June floods can contact their local Farm Service Agency office, or call 304-284-4800.
