PRINCETON, W.Va. — While some Mercer County communities are still recovering from high water earlier in the week, residents and authorities are bracing for more rain in the forecast through the weekend.
Several inches of rain fell across southern West Virginia at the beginning of the week. This led to high water in and around the Princeton area late Sunday through early Monday.
“We had a daycare that’s in two different buildings that got water in them,” Princeton Fire Chief Chad Bailey told MetroNews affiliate WJLS. “A dog grooming shop, one of the local churches got some water in the basement. A mobile home got pretty significant water around it but didn’t get into the home as far as I know. It just got up to the base of the home.”
Roughly five inches of rain fell in parts of Mercer County Sunday night. While it was a slow-moving storm, Bailey said the water subsided quickly.
“Within an hour all of the water had receded except for Stafford Drive where we have had flooding issues for years. As far as I know, no significant damage. We had a few people call that needed their basements pumped and we referred them to people that will do that for them.”
Bailey added his agency is no stranger to flood-related issues. They have responded to several water-related calls just this week, mostly related to stranded motorists who attempted to drive through a flooded roadway.
“If we get a lot of rain at one time and a storm would sit up on us and not move, there could be some issues with flooding. Because really there’s nowhere for the water to go. Now if it’s rain that comes and goes and just continues on, we should be okay.”
The National Weather Service in Charleston has placed a flash flood watch for several southern West Virginia counties including Boone, Fayette, Logan, Nicholas, McDowell, Mingo, McDowell, Pocahontas Raleigh and Wyoming through Friday morning.