CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The death toll from the historic flooding in West Virginia has now reached at least 23 with most of the deaths being reported in Greenbrier County.
“The thoughts of Joanne and I are with everyone who has been affected,” Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said during an afternoon briefing at the capitol. “We’re all praying for those who lost loved ones.”
A huge storm cell rumbled through West Virginia Thursday as training thunderstorms dumped record amounts of rainfall across the state, forcing creeks and rivers out of their banks. The hardest hit counties are Kanawha, Greenbrier, Nicholas and Webster, but a number of other counties in central and southern West Virginia have also been affected.
The highest death toll is in Greenbrier County where ten people have died as a result of flooding. Three fatalities were reported in Kanawha County, and one each in Ohio and Jackson Counties.
Authorities identify the Jackson County victim as 4-year-old Edward McMillion. He was swept away in Utah Creek in Ravenswood. His body was found about a quarter mile from where he fell into the water Thursday.
Tomblin says at least 100 homes and businesses have been damaged by the raging, muddy waters. Search and rescue operations are still being carried out in hardest-hit areas.
At an estimated 66,000 customers of Appalachian Power and Monongahela Power are without electricity, while about 1,500 natural gas customers in the White Sulphur Springs area are without service.
The governor said at least 60 roads across the state are blocked, and that number is expected to grow. One of the roads destroyed was the only way into and out of a shopping center at Elkview, near Charleston, trapping several hundred people. Tomblin said the highway department is working to build a gravel road to reach those who are stranded.
Several nursing homes have been impacted, and Tomblin said the Division of Health and Human Resources is working to address their needs. Nicholas County Senator Greg Boso said patients at a nursing home in Richwood had to be evacuated to a church where cots were set up. He said the nursing home was heavily damaged by flood waters from the Cherry River.
The Red Cross, Salvation Army and other organizations have set up at least 17 shelters. 200 National Guard members are assisting in eight counties and Tomblin said he has the authority to call out a total of 500 if needed.
Unfortunately, Tomblin was not able to say the worst is over. “It’s been a long 24 hours and the next 24 may not be any easier,” he said.
West Virginia 3rd District Congressman Even Jenkins reported that dams in the flood zone are holding. He said he met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the status of the dams at Summersville, Sutton and Bluestone and “we are assured the dams are stable, safe, and containing water as designed.”
Tomblin said there are stories emerging of heroic actions by first responders. In one example, a state trooper pulled to safety a woman trapped in her vehicle in flood waters in Richwood. In other cases, emergency workers have rescued people trapped on rooftops.