ELKVIEW, W.Va. — Several hundred people remained trapped at a Kanawha County shopping plaza Friday after the bridge leading to the plaza collapsed because of flooding.
The road that crosses over Little Sandy Creek fell through during Thursday’s storm. It happened just off Interstate 79 in Elkview at the Crossings Plaza.
The state Department of Transportation is trying to determine if a temporary bridge can be installed so people can leave.
On Friday morning, shoppers and employees could be seen on the other side taking pictures of the view and sitting down in chairs just waiting to get out.
Donna Shamblin, the assistant manager of the K-Mart store in the plaza, said on MetroNews “Talkline” that people are just making the best of it.
“We’ve got about 200 people in the parking lot who were sleeping in the cars, plus the people at the hotel,” Shamblin said.
The La Quinta hotel in the plaza was fully booked as of Thursday night. Some businesses, like Bob Evans restaurant, are without water and gas.
“We gave out coffee and snack cakes this morning,” said Shamblin. “Most people are just rolling with it. It’s beyond everybody’s control so everybody has stayed calm and has been very accepting of the situation.”