MONTGOMERY, W.Va. — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued a state of emergency Monday evening for parts of Fayette and Kanawha counties in connection with the train derailment earlier in the day.
“Declaring a State of Emergency ensures that residents of both Kanawha and Fayette counties have the access they need to resources necessary to handle all stages of the emergency,” Tomblin said in a prepared release. “State officials are on site and will continue to work with local and federal officials, as well as CSX representatives, throughout the incident.”
West Virginia American Water Company was waiting on confirmation Monday evening from emergency officials concerning weather any of the crude oil had spilled from Armstrong Creek into the Kanawha River. The company closed the water intake at its Montgomery plant not long after the derailment. The intake for the Cedar Grove water system was also closed.
WVAWC said if it finds out the Kanawha River was not contaminated it will reopen the intake. For now, it was asking its 2,000 customers on the Montgomery system to conserve water. The company was also making arrangements to bring bottled to the area.
The Montgomery plant provides water to residents in Montgomery, Smithers, Cannelton, London, Handley and Hughes Creek.