AUBURN, W.Va. — While most of the attention from last week’s flood and tornado events has been focused on Pleasants, Upshur and Lewis counties, those weren’t the only areas to incur damage. Almost every building in the tiny community of Auburn in Ritchie County was impacted by the record rainfall. A local creek running through town came out of its banks and sent water straight down Main Street.
“There’s probably 20 to 30 people that are not living in their homes right now. They’re living in campers or with other family members,” said Ritchie County Commission President Randall Riggs.
He estimated close to 15 homes along Main Street had damage and the town’s residents have pulled together to help each other out.
“They’ve got a community building set up. People have been bringing in all kinds of donations like cleaning products and the ladies have been over there cooking meals for the families and kids there in Auburn,” Riggs added.
Outside of town a couple of other homes were also heavily damaged. One homeowner said his wife doesn’t get around well, but on the night of the flood they had to escape somehow. He put a ladder on his back porch across to the hillside behind their mobile home and the two of them crawled through the rainfall on the ladder and up the hill to ride out the storm on the hill behind their home.
FEMA inspectors have already taken a look at the damage and Governor Patrick Morrisey included Ritchie County in his formal request to the White House for an expedited disaster declaration. The request includes funding for both public and private damage reimbursement.
“They’re doing the best they can, but there’s just a lot of damage and there are a lot of those homes that will not be livable again I’m sure,” said Riggs.
While the town of Auburn was dealing with high water, the other end of Ritchie County got one of the EF-1 tornadoes which started in Ohio, crossed the Ohio River into Pleasants County and traveled 24 miles finally ending in Doddridge County. Riggs said the damage from the tornado was largely uprooted and broken trees, but there was one home involved.
“A lot of trees were uprooted and there was one house that a pretty good sized tree landed across the roof of the roof,” he explained.
Fortunately nobody was injured by the weather and the cleanup continues.