National Guard Deployed as Flash Floods Hit West Virginia
Wertynews.com – National Guard deployed as flash floods swept through West Virginia, leaving homes submerged, bridges washed out, and dozens of residents needing rescue. Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Tuesday night that 500 National Guard members would be sent to northern counties hardest hit by the deluge. A state of emergency was declared across all 55 counties as search operations continued Wednesday for missing residents.
Rescue Operations Underway
More than 100 people have been pulled from rising floodwaters, with officials still concerned about potential fatalities. Nineteen National Guard and state police helicopters were either actively conducting rescues or standing by for additional missions. Three emergency shelters opened Wednesday evening, housing over 100 displaced residents according to the governor’s news conference.
Forecasters reported up to 7 inches of rain fell across the region, with some areas receiving 4.5 inches in just 37 minutes. “There’s no place for the water to go,” Morrisey explained when asked about the unprecedented rainfall. The governor noted that while no exact number of missing persons has been confirmed, officials remain concerned about possible fatalities.
Video and photos circulating on social media showed submerged vehicles in parking lots, including dramatic footage of muddy water surging into a Walmart in Weston. Across a nearby highway, a hotel’s main floor became completely inundated. One video captured the moment a father and son evacuated their home in a nearby town, only minutes before their shed floated away in the floodwaters.
Emergency crews reported dozens of rescues involving people trapped in submerged vehicles. However, some rescue teams faced challenges reaching locations where floodwaters had cut off road access. Officials in several communities waited Wednesday for waters to recede before determining where residents could drop off donated supplies. Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner announced that West Virginia Wesleyan College would serve as one such collection point.
“This is heartbreaking,” Skinner said. “This is not something you want to see in your hometown. But we will get past it. We will get through it.”
The heavy rains were part of widespread storms that also produced tornadoes, stretching from the Cincinnati area across New Jersey to New York City suburbs. In central Ohio, damaging winds ripped the roof off a church east of Columbus and brought down trees throughout parts of New York. At least 14 tornadoes were reported across six states on Tuesday.
The ground was already saturated after storms dumped more than 2 inches of rain throughout West Virginia on Saturday. Although rain cleared Wednesday, flood warnings remained in several counties for low-lying areas and regions near rivers and creeks. Flood watches were posted for a large swath extending from eastern Tennessee through Virginia and North Carolina.
Emergency service communication channels buzzed with activity late Tuesday night in West Virginia’s Lewis and Upshur counties, which have approximately 40,000 residents combined. First responders performed water rescues Tuesday night into Wednesday, according to Lewis County Commissioner Agnes Quinn Queen. “The devastation across our county is extensive,” she wrote in a social media post.
Floodwaters forced the closure of portions of Interstate 79, U.S. Route 48, and numerous secondary roads. A sinkhole caused by the storm swallowed a vehicle at a bar in Fayetteville. Tuesday’s storms occurred a decade after 23 people died when heavy rains fell for hours over the same areas. Data from a U.S. Geological Survey water gauge showed Sand Run, a creek tributary near Buckhannon, rose to a record level, topping the mark set during a November 1985 flood event that resulted in 47 deaths statewide.
