MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Emergency crews are expecting to deal with as much as three to seven inches of rain in the Eastern Panhandle.
By Thursday morning, some low-lying roads in Berkeley County had already been closed.
Those roads so far include Henshaw, Grapevine, Douglas Grove Road, and Golfcourse Road, and emergency crews are watching other roadways that historically flood so they can put signs up.
Chief Eddie Gochenour of the Berkeley County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said people should use common sense and find another way to where they’re heading when they see water running across a roadway.
Gochenour has sent crews out to some areas prone to flooding to warn them to be ready to evacuate should the waters rise.
“Keep an eye on the water because we’re sure you’re going to have to evacuate. I’ve already contacted our Red Cross partners about the possibility of having to open up a shelter,” Gochenour said during an appearance on Panhandle Live on MetroNews affiliate WEPM in Martinsburg.
Gochenour cautions drivers not to put too much faith in their four-wheel drives during flood events. He said during his 40-plus years of rescue work, they’ve seen a lot of lifted four-wheel drive vehicles.
“And you would think, ‘Man, that thing can go through anything,’ but once that water lifts those tires up, it’s as bad as a Volkswagen,” he said.
Already this week, Gochenour said a woman and two children had to be pulled from their vehicle on a flooded roadway.
Story by Marsha Kavalek