An additional fatality from this weekend’s flash flooding in Ohio County was identified Tuesday, raising the provisional death toll to seven.
On Saturday, up to 4 inches of rainfall struck the Wheeling area in less than one hour — flooding streets, washing away vehicles and tearing apart some buildings. Further south, a subsequent 4 inches of downpour hit the Marion County city of Fairmont, causing similar damage.
While no deaths have yet been reported from the Marion County incident, Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed Monday morning that at least six individuals died in connection to the Ohio County flood.
That evening, Morrisey announced over social media an additional body had been recovered from Wetzel County, but said his office was awaiting further information. He confirmed over social media Tuesday morning that the individual recovered was a seventh victim of the flood.
The Wheeling Free Press reported Monday that the oldest identified victim from the flood was 74-year-old Michael Veronis of Moundsville; the youngest was Parker Shotton of Triadelphia, age 3.
“May God bring peace and comfort to the families of those lost,” Morrisey wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Search efforts for missing residents and recovery efforts for both Ohio and Marion counties remain ongoing.
As of Monday, emergency respondents from both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the West Virginia National Guard were on the ground in north central West Virginia, according to the governor’s office.
The American Red Cross of Allegheny is also helping staff an emergency shelter on the campus of Fairmont State University, the university said Monday.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service forecasts additional rainfall in both Wheeling and Fairmont this week. Morrisey and county officials have urged residents to submit damage surveys to FEMA to better understand and address the local impacts of the floods.
This weekend’s floods are not the first to spur widespread damage and even fatalities in the Mountain State this year.
Notably, March flooding surrounding McDowell, Mercer and Mingo counties in southern West Virginia claimed three lives. Related flooding in nearby eastern Kentucky claimed at least 24 lives.
In May, multiple days of heavy rainfall brought flooding conditions to Harpers Ferry, plus other areas of Virginia and Maryland along the Potomac River. The flooding required multiple emergency rescues in and around Harpers Ferry.
