ST. MARYS, W.Va. — Quite a few folks in Pleasants County have done about all they can on their own to recover from the damages of three separate tornadoes. Now, they’re just in a holding and waiting pattern for the federal government.
“Waiting and hoping we get an individual declaration for this county,” said Steve Knight, the Director of Emergency Services for Pleasants County.
According to assessment numbers the storms destroyed five homes and caused severe damage to 13 more. Knight believed the figure may be higher and and added at least 30 other homes in the county were impacted with minor damage from the high winds.
Volunteers were quickly in town to help. The biggest effort was cleaning up tree damage. For a few days after the storm, roads were impassable due to the trees. Most of the clearing work has been completed from not only public roads, but also private homes.
Knight said the waiting isn’t easy.
“We’ve got people in motels and charity pays for that. They’re waiting to hear something so they can get started on something anyway,” he explained.
Pleasants is among seven counties Governor Patrick Morrisey requested a disaster declaration from the White House. Two of those, Lewis and Upshur County, have already been declared and President Trump allocated $4.5 Million for relief efforts to get started. The other five disaster requests are being evaluated.