PHILIPPI, W.Va. — A strong storm out of nowhere sent streams in Barbour County out of their banks Wed. morning.
“We just got a lot of rain in a short period of time,” said Terry Wilfong, operations chief of the Barbour County Office of Emergency Management. “There was nothing out of Charleston that notified anybody.”
Wilfong said the storm caught everybody by surprise and it packed a big punch. Streams rose quickly and left parts of the county’s main roads impassable.
“Our whole county got hit pretty hard,” Wilfong said. “Ninety-two (Route 92) was flooded, 57 was flooded, 119 was flooded, Belington in town it was across the road, here in Philippi the road was blocked. It was all over our county.”
Despite the widespread nature of the storm and the volume of rainfall, Wilfong said there were no reports of property damage or anybody who had to be rescued. Emergency personnel are on high alert now for another pending storm. Wilfong said forecasters say the next round of rain could be two to three inches of in a short span of time. He expected more flooding with the system.
Barbour County was part of a flash flood watch issued for 25 counties by the National Weather Service Wed. morning.