BUCKHANNON, W.Va – The American Red Cross and West Virginia Wesleyan College are taking lead roles for flood relief efforts in Upshur County as north central West Virginia tries to recover from this week’s flooding.
West Virginia Wesleyan is serving as a central hub for supplies and opening its athletic facilities as temporary shelter for people displaced by the floods.
“Our role is really to step up and be a face for people that are looking for assistance. We are the primary location to send supplies from aid organizations and individuals,” WVWC President Dr. James Moore said on MetroNews Talkline.
As the waters recede, the Red Cross is transitioning its efforts from sheltering residents in need to providing aid in the community. The organization reports that the number of displaced people in its shelters has decreased significantly.
“On Tuesday night, we had a shelter population of over 100 people, and then last night, as the waters began to recede and folks were able to find their way safely home to assess what their living situations were going to be like, we had a shelter population of about four people,” American Red Cross Regional Development Officer Jeff Hornyak said on Talkline.
The Red Cross’s next step involves sending teams out into the affected areas to make contact with residents and assist them with food, supplies, and other necessities. Hornyak said the mission shifts from housing people to helping them.
“We have teams looking at making sure folks are being fed and immediate needs are met. We have clean-up kits on our damage assessment teams for folks that maybe just flag us down and say, ‘We need some supplies,’ and we are mobile through the community,” he said.
Hornyak added that the best way for concerned West Virginians to help the Red Cross’s efforts is with monetary donations. The organization will soon have a one-stop donation page on its website.
“We’re going to be putting a landing page site to be able to give to disaster relief. Your local chapter, so those West Virginians that are in the affected areas, but maybe you’re not affected directly and you want to help, support your local Red Cross chapters,” Hornyak said.
One of the priorities for local authorities is working with West Virginia Wesleyan to host a drive-in vaccine event on campus on Friday morning. Moore called it an inspiring response from the Buckhannon community to rally this week, and he intends for West Virginia Wesleyan to continue as a significant part of that.
“We’re doing all of those things. We are part of this community, so our campus is a community resource in any way that we can serve,” he said.