MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Emergency officials in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle examined damage Friday morning left in the wake of Tropical Storm Debby. Remnants of the storm are starting to exit the Mountain State’s eastern counties and moving toward the northeast.
The storm is blamed for one death. West Virginia State Police said a large tree fell on a home in the Shannondale community near Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County around 10 p.m. Thursday. According to troopers one of those who lived in the house, identified as Stephanie Wishmyer, age 36, was struck and killed by the falling tree. Her husband was in another part of the house and was able to escape injury.
While rescue crews were on the scene a second tree fell, partially hitting a fire truck from the Independent Fire Company. Damage was minimal to the truck and nobody was injured from the second falling tree.
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Although rainfall was significant Thursday night and Friday morning, most agreed they expected it to be a lot worse.
The region was under a tornado warning around 10:30 p.m. which sent residents into shelter for a brief time. There is reported wind damage in the area of Hedgesville in Berkeley County, but it is unclear if if was a tornado. A significant tornado touched down not far away in neighboring Maryland overnight.
A mudslide was reported on a road west of Berkeley Springs, but officials travelling the county Friday morning said the only high water was in areas of poor drainage.
“We had high water in the locations that normally flood, there was a lot of debris in the road and a few roads closed for high water, but other than that we faired very well,” said Jason Hoover, Emergency Services Director for Morgan County.
The National Weather Service reported three inches of rain had fallen at Shepherd Field. Authorities say although the rain came down hard and fast at times, the parched ground was able to soak up a great deal of the precipitation.
“It came pretty quick. We had a couple of rounds of really heavy rain that was steady for hours at a time. I think the drought conditions we’ve been experiencing keeping the creeks and rivers low helped out significantly. We were expecting it to be worse,” said Hoover.
More rain is in the forecast for the day in the eastern panhandle, but the worst of Debby appeared to have already
been out of the state.
The National Weather Service has forecast the Potomac River
in Shepherdstown to crest at 8:00 p.m. Saturday at minor flood stage. Forecasters say Opequon Creek is forecasted to crest at 2:00 a.m. Saturday at in moderate flood stage
Luke Wiggs, Marsha Kavalek, and Daniel Woods also contributed to this story