UPDATE: Death Toll From Ohio County Floods Rises To 8; 1 Missing

The death of a man in Ohio County floodwaters over the weekend was confirmed Wednesday, bringing the death toll to eight.

Officials said the man’s identity would be released once next of kin had been notified. But they also said the man had not been reported missing. Search and rescue crews were looking for a woman who has still not been found.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey underscored the magnitude of loss in a press briefing.

“We drove in early this morning, and I stopped off to get a cup of coffee, and people were talking about the vibrancy of the three-year-old who was lost. We can’t take that back,” Morrisey said, “but we can honor their memory by coming together and doing everything we can to help remaining people.”

Massive flooding on Father’s Day weekend has decimated homes, roads and businesses in Ohio and Marion counties. 

By Wednesday, much of the power and water service had been restored but there is still much work to be done in clearing roads, repairing bridges and cleaning debris. Morrisey said volunteers are needed. 

“There’s still a need to get out to a lot of the homes, help people clean up. So we’re asking for volunteers,” Morrisey said. “We’re asking people, if you’d like to volunteer to help, to reach out to the Ohio County Emergency Management Team at 304-234-7109.”

“Right now, it’s a little bit of everything,” said Julia Sheets, a volunteer who was answering the phone line Wednesday. “We’ve had quite a bit of response but still need more. We’ve got a man making lunches, people helping with meals and delivering cleaning supplies and baby supplies.”

Morrisey said he has had discussion with White House officials as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and asked that anyone impacted by the flood fill out an online survey at emd.wv.gov/disastersurvey or call 211 for assistance in filling out the survey.

“We have to have people that are affected on the ground return that survey instrument in order to ensure that we’re counting the numbers properly,” Morrisey said. 

“The way that the FEMA system works is that they look at the statewide figures, they look at the county figures. And so we have to make sure that we’re reflecting accurate numbers.”

Family members with power or cell phone service can also complete the form on behalf of those affected.  

On Thursday, Fairmont State University will host social service agencies to provide housing assistance to those affected by the flood. The event will take place in the Falcon Center Fitness Room A from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.