CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When state Division of Highways crews rolled up on a stretch of state Route 82 near Cowen in Webster County Thursday morning they knew they had their work cut out for them.
“All of the sudden the forest decided to break. It just covered up the road for about a mile and a half. There were just trees everywhere,” DOH spokesperson Carrie Jones said.
Downed trees in Webster and several dozen other counties were creating obstacles for crews trying to reopen the highways after severe thunderstorms moved through. It’s not the easiest job, Jones said.
“Sometimes it’s tricky to remove these trees because if there are active power lines in it we have to wait on utility companies to come and deactivate those lines,” she said.
The DOH also responded to calls about high water, rock and mudslides. The cleanup effort will take a few days with primary roads being cleared first, Jones said.
“Interstates, West Virginia routes, high traffic areas are going to take priority,” she said. “Be patient with us and let our crews do their work because they really do have their hands full.”
It will probably take a few days after the storms clear to get an accurate damage estimate.