The extreme storms and floods that have occurred in northern West Virginia have resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including a toddler who was three years old, and the disappearance of many more.
During a news conference that took place on Sunday, June 15, Governor Patrick Morrisey acknowledged that a rainfall that had pounded the region the night before had resulted in the deaths of at least four persons and the disappearance of at least four more people.
Morrisey said during the program, which was webcast online, that “this is a very difficult time for Ohio County and West Virginia.” His remarks were made during the show.
During a space of roughly thirty minutes, sections of Ohio County in the state received between two and four inches of rain, which caused local rivers and infrastructure to be overwhelmed. This information was published by the CBS station WTRF.
According to Governor Morrisey, the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), the Wheeling Police Department, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are currently participating in rescue efforts to assist in the search for the individuals who have gone missing and to identify those individuals who have not yet been reported missing.
Following the onset of the floods on the evening of June 14, the director of emergency management for the county, Lou Vargo, said at the news conference that two individuals who had been reported missing were located. He also said that there were 19 “swift water rescues” that were carried out.
On the occasion of the news conference, Governor Morrisey said that a state of emergency has been established in the county, and that it is possible that the National Guard would be requested to participate in the recovery operations.
In the course of the flash flood that occurred on June 14, CBS News reported that vehicles were dragged into canals that were already overflowing, that people climbed into trees for protection, and that a fire broke out.
“It happened so quickly and so fast,” Vargo stated during the conference. He went on to say, “I’ve been doing this for 35 years.” Significant flooding have occurred in both the city and the county where I live. Nothing quite like this has ever been seen before.”
“We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped,” he proceeded to explain. Over the course of this time period, we had significant infrastructure damage to roads, bridges, and highways, which prevented us from responding to a significant number of events. Consequently, we were unable to arrive on time since there was just an excessive amount of damage.
Phillip Stahl, a spokesman for the Portland Police Department, said to WTRF that the flooding was unlike anything he had ever seen in the region.
Stahl made the following explanation: “The creeks rose pretty quickly.” A significant quantity of debris was there, the likes of which the vast majority of individuals had never seen in their whole lives. However, it was a step in the wrong direction. Sheds, furniture, gas tanks, hot water tanks, and conex boxes (also known as shipping containers) were among the items that were being transported down the stream. The scene that I saw was nothing short of incredible.
During the press conference, Morrisey also said that the damage assessments would start on Monday, June 16th.
At two o’clock in the afternoon on June, over 2,500 people were still without electricity, inhabitants of the town of Apple Grove did not have access to water, and more than a dozen bridges and highways were blocked throughout the county.
With the help of the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), people were provided with a list of services, which included information on where to report missing individuals, where to bring donations, and the location of an emergency overnight shelter.
As stated by Governor Morrisey, “Identifying the missing individuals is my number one priority, as well as the priority of everyone on our team and those in the local community,” according to the governor.
