HUNDRED, W.Va. — Saturday marks three weeks since high water and flooding damaged millions of dollars in public infrastructure in West Virginia while simultaneously flooding homes and businesses.
Delegate Joe Statler (R – Monongalia, 51) said the clean-up process is reaching a point where time and money are becoming the most important things volunteers can provide.
“I just don’t know how to say it any other way — it’s expensive to put these back,” he said Friday on WAJR’s Morgantown AM.
The time and money is important in helping rebuild homes that have been cleaned following the muddy events of the final weekend in July, but Statler said there are still some homes where clean-up remains ongoing.
“I’m not going to say all the clean-up is done,” he said. “We still are cleaning out a few places over there, but mainly it’s done and about ready to start putting dry wall back in. Because once you tear it out, it’s got to go back in.”
MORE: Federal disaster declaration for flood damaged counties of northern W.Va.
Statler said the amount of debris cleared out of the western end of Monongalia County and hard-hit Wetzel County towns like Hundred is staggering.
“It was several dump truck loads of debris that they was able to haul away for those people and help them out,” Statler said.
Statler has been assisting with flood clean-up since July 28.
“Just unbelievable when you start this process to see what’s out in the street,” he said. “And a person coming in like myself, I know it’s awful. But it doesn’t affect me as much as when you look at your life savings and everything else laying out in front of your house that you’ve just tossed out.”
There are a number of ways to donate and help out, Statler said.
“We even got a GoFundMe page,” he said. “I have no idea how that works, but as long as the money comes in I don’t need to know how it works.”
West Virginia is seeking public and individual disaster assistance to help with the clean-up and recovery efforts in the affected counties.
Volunteer services are being coordinated at the defunct State Police Barracks in Hundred, across from Hundred High School.
