CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The National Weather Service closed its office in Charleston Friday after a breakout of mold.
The 24 workers were sent to either the agency’s radar site in Charleston or NWS offices in Pittsburgh to do their jobs.
The agency has implemented its Continuation of Operations Plan, NWS Electronic Systems Analyst Dave Cunningham told MetroNews.
“We noticed it (the mold) the day before yesterday (Wednesday), had it tested yesterday (Thursday) and just to be on the safe side we initiated our backup plan,” Cunningham said.
The test results have not come back.
Cunningham isn’t sure how long the office will be closed.
“I don’t want to speculate how long this is going to take until we find out what we are dealing with and until we make sure what caused it in the first place. We are going to figure that out and go from there,” Cunningham said.
The is believed to be the first time the Charleston office has had to fully implement its backup plan. It did so partially during the 2012 derecho.
Cunningham said Charleston staff members can do their forecasting and other duties from other locations.
The building, which was constructed in 1994, is located just off U.S. Route 119 near the Southridge Shopping Centre in Charleston.