WEST HAMLIN, W.Va. — Folks in Lincoln County have a lot of cleanup work to do today. Flash flooding from Thursday night left a number of homes damaged in the community of West Hamlin.
Along with damage to homes and buildings there are several bridges used to access homes along Routes 10 and 3 which were washed out overnight.
This large tree was uprooted—carried downstream by this—what is usually a small roadside stream—and took out this private property bridge pic.twitter.com/ev6xo8Zmwj
— Jeff Jenkins (@JeffJenkinsMN) June 11, 2021
There were reports of water getting into buildings in the Ripley area as well. The extent of damage in both Jackson and Lincoln County and other isolated areas is being assessed today.
Listen to “Bill McComas of West Hamlin” on Spreaker.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch out for nearly all of West Virginia. That watch was upgraded to a warning for a few hours this morning in Logan and Mingo Counties after a cloudburst dumped in excess of two inches of rain in a short time span.
The ground in most places is saturated by ongoing showers resulting from tropical conditions in West Virginia all week. The heavy humidity is created as air from the Gulf of Mexico has funneled into the state for the past week. The conditions have created ripe conditions for pop-up thunderstorms. There has been as much problem with the runoff from those storms as with creeks actually leaving their banks.
Residents here tell me they are very thankful for the work last night by the West Hamlin VFD. They made 12 high water rescues. No serious injuries reported pic.twitter.com/TM8olH2LVS
— Jeff Jenkins (@JeffJenkinsMN) June 11, 2021
Forecasters expected the pattern to continue through Friday night. Clearing and drier conditions are expected Saturday and into Sunday.