WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Al tough there was high water across much of Mingo County over the weekend, the damage to homes and other structures was minimal.
“I’ve had a few calls about water in the basement,” said Doug Goolsby, Emergency Services Director for Mingo County. “But actual flood water, no.”
Goolsby had very little sleep and continued to patrol areas of high water on Monday which covered several streams in his county.
“We still have a couple of roads that are still covered,” he explained. “Most of it’s just a backwater. The Tug Fork came up and the tributaries couldn’t empty, so the backwater set up through the creeks.”
As the rain continued the downpour on Saturday and into Sunday morning, there were real fears of severe flooding on the way, but the rain appeared to have stopped just in time.
“I think it did,” he said. “It was just the track of the story, it could have been any of us, but the track of that storm is what saved us.”
Neighbors in Eastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia weren’t as fortunate. There is widespread flooding in those regions with considerable damage to homes and businesses. While Goolsby felt fortunate to have escaped with only a few mudslides and flooded roadways from the weekend, he worried about the coming forecast with more rain headed toward the region on Thursday.
“We’re not going to get enough warmth between now and then to dry out,” he explained. “It could be pretty bad in areas. I hope it’s not and the storm’s not as severe, but where it’s so wet, you’re probably looking at flooding again.”