Road crews clear debris from an underpass in Welch after flooding in the McDowell County, W.Va. town. (@MorriseyWV X account)
At least two people have now died due to flooding in West Virginia’s southern coalfields, where already struggling communities were washed out in a torrent of rain that hit over the weekend.
The two victims, Debbie and Donald Griffin, were from Welch. Gov. Patrick Morrisey said at least one other person is still missing in McDowell County, where search and rescue teams were active Tuesday.
Morrisey said he spent Monday surveying damage across the coalfields, with specific stops in Mingo and McDowell counties.
“I first met some people who seemed to have lost everything …,” Morrisey said. “I want to send a message that the state is looking to do everything possible through its efforts and its resources to be helpful.”
As a state, the governor said agencies have taken on a “unified response” in both cleaning up debris left by the flood waters and coordinating response efforts for those who need assistance.
Five liaison officer teams from the West Virginia National Guard were working throughout the region while local and state emergency responders were combining efforts. Members of the West Virginia State Police, the state fire marshal’s office and those with corrections were operating drones to survey damage from above and help concentrate recovery efforts in places that needed it most. Workers from the state Department of Transportation, the Division of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Protection, among others, were also on the ground.
Morrisey said a bright spot in the ongoing devastation across the coalfields was how West Virginians — and those from outside the state — have stepped up to help their community through donations and cleanup efforts. He said bottled water had been donated from multiple residents who were spared from the floods. Other donations came in from as far away as Texas.
“I saw so much volunteer efforts and food and water and people that cared so much. That’s the West Virginia way,” Morrisey said. “… We thank everyone who is putting themselves in harm’s [way] to save the lives of their neighbors. There’s no substitute for that — people acting selflessly to help their fellow West Virginians.”
Boil water advisories so far have been issued for residents served by public service districts in Williamson, McDowell, Kermit, Mingo and Crum. Those who rely on those systems for water should abstain from drinking anything coming out of their taps until further notice.
Water service in general was still out completely for portions of both McDowell and Mingo counties, Morrisey said. Utility operators, he continued, were working to flush lines and restore service as soon as possible on Tuesday.
In addition to the water outages, power remained out for more than 8,000 West Virginians on Tuesday, Morrisey said. Utility workers and others had restored power to nearly 56,000 residents on Tuesday. In some areas, responders were needing to wait until flood waters receded and debris was cleared out before repairing power lines.
Flood waters can be breeding grounds for disease due to contaminants that could enter the body through open wounds, among other ways. There can also be dangers — loose metal, sharp objects and more — hidden in flood waters, which can be hazardous for people caught in them. Morrisey said 250 tetanus shots were sent this week to Williamson Memorial Hospital and to Wyoming County for anyone who may have been exposed in the overflowing waters.
At least four school districts — in Mingo, McDowell, Raleigh and Wyoming counties — had closures on Tuesday for either power outages, road closures or damage from floods. In several of those counties, schools were being used as shelters or distribution centers for people displaced by the floods and in need of supplies. Social media postings from Mingo and McDowell on Sunday said both districts would be closed “until further notice,” however no announcements regarding any closures were posted on the state Department of Education’s website as of 4 p.m.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.