A downpour of rain in the Morgantown area on Thursday night turned Patteson Drive into the Patteson River for the second time in six weeks and caused damage to area roads, businesses, and homes.
“It’s just been one of those very persistent patterns where we’ve had plenty of heat and humidity that these storms have been able to capitalize on,” AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
“Unfortunately it hit a lot of the same places multiple times,” leaving saturated soil unable to cope with additional moisture, he said.
Initial reports indicate that the region received between 2 and 4 inches of rain Thursday. According to data collected at Morgantown Municipal Airport, almost 1.2 inches fell in just one hour, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
There were multiple water rescues of drivers who got stuck in their vehicles in the water.
University Police helped six people escape the water in front of Kroger. Cpt. Sherry St. Clair said the vehicles tried to drive through the water covered road not realizing how deep it was.
“Thursday’s events are a good reminder of how quickly situations can change during a flood,” St. Clair said. “We are thankful the situation was resolved without any injuries. However, University Police reminds our campus community that six inches of water is enough to reach the bottom of most passenger cars, which can flood the exhaust and leave occupants immobile and at risk.”
The Morgantown Fire Department also assisted with water rescues, Morgantown Communications Director Andrew Stacy said. Rescues were also carried out at the intersection of Willowdale and Valley View, at the bottom of 8th Street on Beechurst Avenue, and on West Park Street in Westover, Smith said.
The reported damage seemed to be concentrated around the Patteson Drive, Star City, Westover, and Granville area, MECCA 911 Director Jim Smith said.
University at Patteson Drive is being excavated by the West Virginia Division of Highways to repair a failing stormwater culvert, Stacy said. That section of University is closed until repairs are made. Richwood Avenue was temporarily closed Thursday from Monongalia to Dayton due to downed power lines.
The DOH closed Chips Hollow Bridge in Star City until further notice because it was damaged in the storm, Smith said.
Two houses, one in Granville, the other in Westover, had trees fall on them, Smith said. Another 23 trees fell on or near roads and were reported to 911. It would also be safe to attribute a tree that fell on North Willey Street Friday morning to the saturation of water as well, he said.
Overall, the area saw 53 reports of structure flooding.
The lower level of the Seneca Center on Beechurst Avenue was inundated with several inches of water and mud Thursday night, forcing many small businesses to close.
“The floors are ruined, there’s puddles of water lying here and there. Everyone’s standing around in a state of shock and dismay trying to figure out where we’re going to go from here,” Dr. P.J. Neer said.
Shorty Anderson’s Auto Service on Stewart Street had about a foot of water inside the shop, part owner Travis Rowan said. The shop was closed Friday and Rowan hoped to be open on Monday. The repair shop suffered significant damage in the flooding six weeks ago which was not covered by insurance as they claimed it was builder’s negligence. Rowan said he hoped it would be different this time.
“As the whole atmosphere warms up it has the ability to hold on to more moisture in the air,” Buckingham said. “As more ingredients are available for these showers and thunderstorms to build then over time in general you can see…these events can become more frequent.”
The damage at the Patteson and University intersection was the most significant damage suffered by WVU, said Ted Svehlik, associate vice president of auxiliary and business services.
He described the overall damage as “impactful but manageable.”
Thirteen PRT cars were hit by mud and water coming down 8th Street but were in for repairs anyways, Svehlik said. Other damages included several academic buildings which saw water intrusion, and a stage at the Creative Arts Center that got wet and buckled.
Svehlik said WVU employees, especially its custodial and grounds staff, did a heroic job dealing with the damage both Thursday night and Friday.
Stacy asked all flooding damage be reported at https://arcg.is/184T1G0 to help local and state authorities understand locations impacted by the disaster.
Additional reporting by Chris Schulz
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