WESTON, W.Va. — Flood recovery operations continue in Weston after the July 21 flood with some things are starting to get back to normal.
Lewis County Commissioner Agnes Queen said the Walmart store has partially reopened. The store does yet offer frozen, cold, or hot food options but does have everyday supplies to support ongoing recovery efforts.
“The pharmacy is back in the building now, and you can get things like cleaning supplies and paper products,” Queen said Wednesday on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “They’re going to open the rest of the store up in phases.”
The needs on the ground vary but debris removal is the most immediately important task. Queen said getting the debris from the pile near the interstate as well as isolated debris piles throughout the county moved to the landfill. She said they would like to work with a trucking company or contractor that might have resources or equipment to help.
“We have 30 homes that need to be torn down or are torn down,” Queen said. “What we’re running into right now is getting the debris to the landfill because the National Guard cannot take it.”
Robert L. Bland Middle School students will begin classes next week at WVU Jackson’s Mill.
“We’re thankful for WVU, WVU Jackson’s Mill, and the people in Morgantown who worked that out so our students didn’t have to start with distance learning,” Queen said. “They were able to have in-person classes.”
Queen urged residents impacted by flooding to apply for emergency assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA is operating at 37 Elizabeth Street in Weston Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. FEMA workers are stationed at the supply distribution center and other locations in an attempt to make contact with as many flood victims as possible.
“They have an entire team that comes out and waits for people to come out and see them,” Queen said. “They also have a person from the U.S. Small Business Administration there, so if you’re a business that needs to talk to them, you can do it there.”
Queen said early in the response more than 130 businesses had to close, and three of those have announced plans to close for good. More than 60 businesses have reopened, but most of those are not operating on a typical schedule. So far, about 850 people have completed FEMA damage assessments.
“The streets don’t have as much debris piled along them as they did in the beginning,” Queen said. “If you didn’t know driving down Main Street in Weston, you really wouldn’t know there was a flood.