7 confirmed dead in West Virginia flash flooding

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — At least seven people were killed in flash flooding in West Virginia that began Thursday and continued into early Friday.

Greenbrier County Sheriff Jan Cahill said the bodies of two flood victims were recovered near White Sulphur Springs Friday.

The Greenbrier County victims were not found in a residence or a car, Cahill said.

“They were just swept away.”

Cahill and others were working Friday afternoon to find other residents who were still “unaccounted for.”

Jackson County first responders located the body of Edward McMillion, 4, at just after 11 a.m. Friday. He first went missing in high water near Ravenswood Thursday evening.

Three flood-related deaths have been reported in Kanawha County and an 8-year-old boy died after being carried away by a swift running creek in Wheeling Thursday.

Sheriff Cahill told MetroNews Friday it was “complete and utter devastation” in his county following flash flooding of historic proportions that began Thursday afternoon.

Residents in White Sulphur Springs, Rainelle and other communities found themselves fighting for their lives when Howard’s Creek and other waterways exceeded their banks after rain that neared double digits.

“There was so much rain, so quickly, so prolonged, there was so much of it,” Cahill said.

Rescue vehicles “had to be rescued,” the sheriff said. First responders did make dozens of rescues. The county’s 911 Center received distress calls.

“People were calling in to be rescued in their attics. The water came in through the first floor and second floor,” Cahill said. “They were just in shock.”

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