The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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March 13, 2010

Mount Hope hit hard by floodwaters

By Christopher J. Jackson Register-Herald Reporter

Mount Hope — MOUNT HOPE — Boyd Donelow waded through water halfway up his legs as he looked at the aftermath of flooding in Mount Hope.

Water in front of his home on West Virginia Street had receded quite a bit as compared to late Friday night.

“It was waist-high last night,” said Donelow, who had on black galoshes. “Not seen it this high since I moved here 10 years ago.”

A combination of heavy rains, melting snow and saturated ground caused flooding throughout Fayette County. Flood warnings remained in effect through Saturday evening for both Fayette and Raleigh counties.

Mount Hope Fire Chief Shane Wheeler said a voluntary evacuation was issued for West Virginia Street, Delaware Street and Kilsyth Road Friday night.

“About 9 p.m. ... we got concerned and notified residents to be aware what’s going on,” he said. “Within the span of a few hours it became evident we’d have an issue with the flooding and most people been used to flooding in that area. Lots wanted to stick it out.”

He said about 50 homes were reported to have water damage and emergency personnel evacuated about 40 people with boats.

The National Weather Service in Charleston reported that Fayette County received between 2 and 3 inches of rain fall Friday night and early Saturday.

Oak Hill received 2.95 inches. A shelter was setup in Oak Hill at the Lewis Community Center for flood victims and authorities stressed that motorists should not drive through high water.

Officials with the NWS said the worst was over, but the Mount Hope and Glen Jean areas should receive about a half inch by today with mostly spotty rain showers.

Jeff Romine, who lived on Snyder Street in Mount Hope for 18 years, was passing through the area and stopped to watch floodwaters rush past the house he grew up in.

He said water never got in his house while he lived there and that the flooded Dunloup Creek was just slightly higher than what he’d seen before.

Justin Foster, 13, was wading through standing water past his ankles carrying a trash can on his way back to his home on West Virginia Street.

“There’s about 3 feet in my basement,” he said while standing in the water. “It’s not been this bad since 2001.”

Josh Hammond hung out his bedroom window in his home off Snyder Street and said he had a foot of water in his basement.

He pointed to the spot where the water level topped off, which was about 3 feet, and said “I’m just waiting it out.”

Leslie Foster, Justin’s mother, said almost everything in her basement was ruined. She said it was typical for Dunloup Creek to flood, but not as badly as it had.

She had a hose pumping water of her basement on West Virginia Street.

“Everyone’s saying this is the worst flooding,” she said, standing on her porch. “It didn’t get to the main living stuff in the house, but it’s a little disheartening.”

— E-mail: cjackson@register-herald.com

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