The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced that it will provide additional rental assistance to victims of the June floods.
FEMA said that victims who have already received rental assistance who have not already received a letter and a form in the mail will receive one soon. Households must return the completed form in addition to the following documents to apply for assistance:
Utility bills from before and after the disaster
If the victim is a renter, a copy of his or her pre-disaster lease
For renters or homeowners, a copy of the current lease or rental agreement signed by the person who applied for FEMA assistance and the landlord
Rental receipts, canceled checks or money orders showing that the victim used his or her rental assistance to pay rent or a security deposit
Income statements from before and after the disaster for all wage earners living in the household.
FEMA said that it has awarded assistance to more than 2,500 flood victims of the recent floods in West Virginia.
In this special television broadcast of Inside Appalachia with host Jessica Lilly, WVPB brings you the stories of heroism and survival in towns like Richwood, Rainelle, and Clendenin. Residents and community leaders share their stories of loss and resilience.
The National Weather Service called the June 2016 flooding in southern West Virginia an exceptional meteorological event, a vicious line-up of storms that came in simultaneously from multiple directions.
Almost 8 inches of rain fell in some spots in just 12 to 18 hours. That amount of rain in such a short time period is something expected once in 1,000 years, according to the NWS.
The area damaged in southern West Virginia is unprecedented.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting reporters fan out throughout southern West Virginia, assessing the damage, following recovery efforts, and documenting the monumental task of cleaning-up. http://video.wvpublic.org/video/2365823462
Listen to interviews of volunteers who felt compelled to gather needed supplies, and come help.
The program features behavioral health specialists discussing help available for dealing with trauma from natural disasters. The broadcast also examines the state’s plan forward to rebuild these devastated communities with a conversation with Adjunct General, Major General James Hoyer of the WV National Guard, now Chief Recovery Coordinator, appointed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.
A month after the flood, businesses in the communities affected by the home are struggling. Some businesses in affected towns have reopened, but others…
A month after the flood, businesses in the communities affected by the home are struggling. Some businesses in affected towns have reopened, but others say they are closing their doors for good.
Along Route 60 in the small town of Crawley near Rupert, Tonya Henson says she’s closing her little roadside stand, called “Made By Me“. A Greenbrier County native who recently opened her own business- an artist’s shop that’s located in a small wooden cabin right off the highway. There, she’s been selling handmade jewelry, wind chimes, and bird baths.
Hanson makes money clips out of butter knives, bracelets out of spoons and elephants out of forks. She’s been making the gifts for about ten years. In 2014, after being laid off from two jobs, she decided to turn it into a career. She opened this roadside shop this past May.
“And it did great until the flood three weeks ago. And the flood wiped out cities and towns, so people really don’t have the money to buy bird baths. It’s not that they don’t have the money, it’s they don’t have a place to live. There’s more important things to think about right now.”
Hanson worries about her business staying afloat in the wake of June’s floods, and she’s not alone.
The West Virginia Department of Commerce says more than 1,000 businesses have filed for federal assistance.
But business owners like Hanson’s that have suffered economic injury as a result of high water can apply for a low interest loan through the Small Business Administration. The SBA offers Disaster Loans to homeowners, renters and business owners to help them rebuild after federal disasters.
This includes people who did not have flood insurance.
Still, for some people, like Hanson, even a low interest loan is a financial risk they can’t take right now.
“So, I’m gonna close the store, and for now I have to do something with a more solid income.”
For now, she’s going to try to sell her crafts at a store called Tiky Boo in Beckley.
She says West Virginians are tough, and she thinks the communities will find a way to rebuild. She might reopen her roadside shop, if things in Rainelle and Rupert pick back up.
House Speaker Tim Armstead is asking Governor Tomblin to consider offering state aid to small business owners who may need to rebuild, but Tomblin has said West Virginia’s economic climate may prevent the state from being able to provide much help. Without that help, it’s possible a number of businesses, like Hanson’s, may not reopen.
The deadline to apply for a Disaster Loan through the Small Business Administration is August 24th. These loans are different than the housing and needs assistance grants provided by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For more information about how to apply for assistance, visit WVFlood.com.
Did you know West Virginia has a plan, more than a decade in the making, designed to save lives and prevent damage from floods?And what if you found out…
Did you know West Virginia has a plan, more than a decade in the making, designed to save lives and prevent damage from floods?
That’s what reporter Ken Ward of the Charleston Gazette-Mail discovered. After Ward’s story, House Speaker Tim Armstead promised a review of that 2004 plan.
Ward spoke with Laurie Lin and Scott Finn for our podcast, The Front Porch. Ward talks about what was in this report, and the one state worker who tried in vain to get it implemented.
Subscribe to “The Front Porch” podcast on iTunes or however you listen to podcasts.
An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available above.
Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org
The Front Porch is underwritten by The Charleston Gazette Mail, providing both sides of the story on its two editorial pages. Check it out: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/
The two tents set up in a grocery store parking lot in Clendenin were overflowing with people waiting for tetanus vaccines Tuesday afternoon. A shipment of about 1,000 had been promised from out of state, but the FedEx truck holding them was held up in Memphis. Health Right, a free clinic based in Charleston, had about 50 to offer.
“I knew these people were out here waiting and so we do what we do best at free clinics,” said Angie Settle, executive director of Health Right. “We get our boots on the ground, we call people, [and] we tell them what the situation is. We have a good name in the community so people know our hearts are in the right place and they reach out for us.”
So by the time she pulled up to the makeshift hospital around 3 p.m., she had 250 doses with her from four Charleston-based donors – enough to cover that afternoon’s demand.
The vaccinations are part of a public health push to protect the people exposed to floodwater against bacterial disease, particularly tetanus.
Tetanus is a bacterial infection that affects the nervous system. It’s also known as “lockjaw” because it can cause your neck and jaw to lock, making it hard to open your mouth or swallow.
For the past 70 years, tetanus has been steadily declining in the U.S. due to the introduction of vaccines. But it’s still possible to get it through exposure to the bacteria in soil or contaminated water.
Credit Kara Lofton / WV Public Broadcasting
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WV Public Broadcasting
The makeshift hospital in Clendenin, WV
Floodwater and residual mud like West Virginia experienced this past week are prime breeding grounds for the bacteria that causes tetanus because “there’s a mix of flood water and sewage that happens,” said commissioner of public health Rahul Gupta.
“The challenge with especially the sewage is the bacteria that can remain alive, and those bacteria can not only remain alive, but can actually grow,” he said.
So if you were a victim of the floods or a first responder or even a reporter who has been mucking around in a cocktail of floodwater, feces and unknown chemicals, you might be at risk.
The very best way to protect yourself against the tetanus bacteria is by using gloves, wearing rubber boots and properly cleaning any cuts. Tetanus bacteria enters the system through contact with the skin.
“So for contact, it really depends if they have any open wounds or abrasions,” said Gupta. “And oftentimes what would happen is you may not always be aware while you are cleaning [that] you have some skin breaks and may have some abrasions that may happen. And you may not feel those, so there can be contact with skin, but especially if it is not intact, and no matter how microscopic, those are bacteria can seep in.”
But vaccines are vitally important too – victims and first responders often did not have all the cleaning supplies they needed in the first few days following the flood.
Credit Kara Lofton / WV Public Broadcasting
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WV Public Broadcasting
Angie Settle (left) holds tetanus vaccines at the makeshift hospital in Clendenin.
Fortunately almost everyone is vaccinated for tetanus as children these days. It is one of those vaccines required to enroll in school. But adults need a booster every 10 years to retain their immunity. However, boosters do take a couple weeks before they build full immunity.
Tamra Stall, a family practice doctor in Greenbrier County, said since tetanus has an incubation period of 3 to 21 days, boosters can still help protect people.
“The sooner after exposure they are inoculated, if they have not particularly had it before, the better prevention will be,” she said.
Stall’s office has given more than 1,000 doses of tetanus so far. Staff ran out of the vaccines Monday afternoon. By Monday evening, more than 100 people were on a waiting list. The office received 250 donated doses Tuesday and another 250 Wednesday. The state health department ordered several thousand new doses Monday to address the need for the vaccine across the state.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting will air the “Rebuild West Virginia” telethon to benefit flood recovery efforts on Friday 7 to 9 p.m. on WVPB’s main…
Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
West Virginia Public Broadcasting will air the “Rebuild West Virginia” telethon to benefit flood recovery efforts on Friday 7 to 9 p.m. on WVPB’s main television channel. It will repeat from 9 to 11 p.m. on The West Virginia Channel.
The telethon is sponsored by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association and will originate from the WVVA television studios in Bluefield, W.Va. It is being made available to other broadcasters and online.
All proceeds from this effort will go directly to the Red Cross, which is one of the lead organizations helping with relief efforts in all areas of the state affected by the recent floods.
“We are proud to help with this effort,” said Scott Finn, executive director of WVPB. “With our statewide reach, we hope to make as many people as possible aware of this telethon.”
Anyone who wishes to make a donation directly to the Red Cross West Virginia Flood Relief effort may do so online at www.rebuildwestvirginia.com, by calling (877) 273-0511 or text WVFLOODS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
