At least six people have died after a severe storm flooded northern West Virginia this past weekend, according to CBS News. One of the confirmed dead includes a three-year-old, and there are multiple missing civilians.
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Death Toll Rises To 6 After Severe Floods In Northern West Virginia
Governor Patrick Morrisey confirmed the updated death toll on Monday, June 16. Previously, one day before, the Governor revealed that four people had died.
Rescue crews are still searching for missing people after the torrential rainstorm. Not only that, but the authorities are checking the damage to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.
WTRF reported that around 2.5 to 4 inches of rain fell in under 30 minutes around 8 PM Saturday, according to Emergency Management Director Lou Vargo. The severe damage has stretched across regions such as Wheeling, Triadelphia, and Valley Grove.
“We’ve never seen anything like this in Ohio County,” Vargo said during a news conference. “Bridges are out, roads are gone, homes destroyed — and our first responders are still actively searching.”
The flooding has affected certain buildings, such as one Fairmont apartment building that partially collapsed, WDTV reported. Video footage captured rescues happening at the damaged apartment complex. Even one of the building’s rear walls collapsed due to the floods.
On top of that, the flash floods damaged a myriad of vehicles. According to authorities, the water swept vehicles into creeks. This forced some citizens to find safety in trees.
Governor Morrisey confirmed today that they are still searching for two missing people. Since this environmental disaster, Morrisey declared a state of emergency for the county.
He also revealed that they may ask the National Guard to help with recovery efforts. First responders have so far completed 19 successful water rescues, confirmed Morrisey.
Not only did the storm come out of nowhere, but so did the emergency calls. “We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped,” said Vargo.
“During this time, we had major infrastructure damage to roads, bridges, and highways, where we couldn’t respond to a lot of incidents. So we were delayed in getting there because there was just so much damage.”
Vargo added that he has never seen a flood like this in his 35-year career. “I’ve seen major floods here in the city and the county. I’ve never seen anything like this.”