By STEVEN ALLEN ADAMS
Staff Reporter
CHARLESTON – West Virginia emergency response officials are now in day four of response to the weekend flooding in multiple counties in Southern West Virginia, and while progress is being made on opening roadways and reconnecting power, the death toll increased to two, with a possible unrelated death of a firefighter and one missing person.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Adjutant General Jim Seward briefed the press on the flood response Tuesday morning in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol Building.
West Virginia experienced a widespread flooding disaster in the southern part of the state following severe storms that began on Feb. 15. The flooding resulted in significant damage to infrastructure, loss of power, displacement of residents, and tragically, loss of life.
Morrisey said there were two additional deaths related to the flooding, as well as the death of a firefighter whose identity was not released due to next of kin still being contacted. Morrisey announced the first flood-related death Monday. Also, another person remains missing.
“We know now that there are up to two individuals that have been reported as dead from McDowell County,” Morrisey said. “That’s Donald and Debbie Griffin from Welch. We also know that there’s another individual that is still missing. It’s now been several days missing, so obviously there are efforts going over with canines to try to locate that individual. We also know that last night there was a firefighter in McDowell County who died.”
Morrisey announced Monday that he requested an emergency disaster declaration from President Donald Trump to unlock federal resources. This came after Morrisey and state emergency officials drove through affected West Virginia counties and witnessed the damage first-hand.
“It became clear to me that federal assistance was required in southern West Virginia because we need to do what we can to get communities back on their feet and being strong,” Morrisey said. “That’s why yesterday I requested an emergency disaster declaration from President Trump which could unlock some of the federal resources and energy to help support our recovery efforts.”
The West Virginia Republican congressional delegation – U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, and U.S. Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore – wrote a letter Monday in support of the governor’s request. The request is for 13 counties throughout central and southern West Virginia affected by “heavy rains, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides.”
“We applaud the tireless dedication of our state and local first responders, as well as the invaluable contributions of our neighbors and volunteers,” the delegation wrote to Trump. “Nevertheless, the demand for aid remains substantial, and we urge you to do everything in your power to make sure that our communities have the federal support they need to rebuild and recover.”
High water rescues have been critical, with approximately 60-65 water rescues over the weekend. Eleven of those were conducted by officers with the Division of Natural Resources.
Restoring power is a major priority with significant progress made. According to Morrisey, 55,909 West Virginians had their power restored over the last few days as of Tuesday morning, with only 8,319 homes remaining without power.
Morrisey noted major road closures in several counties, pointing to washed-out roads and bridges as examples of public infrastructure damage in the southern counties. The Division of Highways is working to clear roadways and ditches of debris.
The immediate focus is on rescue efforts, restoring power, providing essential resources to affected communities, and assessing the full extent of the damage. Both Morrisey and Seward praised local first responders, volunteers, members of the National Guard, and others providing support for the clean-up and recovery effort.
“I want to start out by thanking everyone for the amazing work that they’re doing,” Morrisey said. “Today I start with the folks on the ground, the people that are just toiling: the first responders, the local law enforcement, or the volunteers that are doing everything imaginable to help their fellow citizens in need.”
“I’d just like to thank the members of the National Guard who are in their communities,” Seward said. “We met many of them yesterday. They weren’t in this uniform. They might have been in a State Police uniform or working at a food bank. That’s a great thing about the National Guard. They’re in our communities and they’re serving their fellow citizens in many different ways, and that local knowledge was very helpful for me yesterday while we were on scene.”
Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com
