By Amelia A. Pridemore
Register-Herald Reporter
— Most southern West Virginians painfully remember 2001’s devastating flooding.
Fayette County authorities say some of their flood damage is on par with that.
“Most people remember the floods in 2001, and what it looked like after that,” said Theresa White, acting director of Fayette County Emergency Services. “This is a very, very close second — if not equal. It’s heartbreaking.”
The hardest-hit parts of Fayette County were in the Dunloup Creek area, particularly Kilsyth, she said.
Overall conditions improved Sunday, White said. Only one road, Georges Road in the Pax area, was impassable. But more damage has been reported now that more residents can reach their homes. A high amount of standing water still remains.
White said more than 100 structures in Fayette County have been affected. Exact damage assessments were unknown Sunday because American Red Cross personnel and volunteers were still doing damage assessments.
The damaged structures include businesses and churches, White said. These include Kilsyth Freewill Baptist Church, Long Branch United Methodist Church in Pax and Ed’s Supply in Kilsyth. Ed’s Supply, a mine supply business, was “four feet underwater.”
“A lot are already tearing out carpet and flooring already, especially the churches,” White said.
No fatalities have been reported, but some people who had to be evacuated from their homes by boat were taken to hospitals afterward, White said. A few suffered stress-related conditions. At least one man had a heart attack.
White noted that the waters rose the most overnight Friday, when many people were asleep. Personnel from Jan-Care Ambulance were the first to notify authorities about flooding in the Glen Jean area. They noticed the floodwaters and how quickly they were rising, then began waking up and evacuating residents. Fire department swift water rescue teams from throughout the county were sent to the flood zones.
White encouraged anyone with flood-related damage to call Fayette County Emergency Services at 304-574-3285. She said she knows that line will receive several phone calls, and she urged patience in case of long busy signals. Authorities need to know details like home types and water depths.
“If we don’t hear from them, we can’t help them,” White said.
Summers County authorities believe their county was quite fortunate.
“I think we’ve been spared this time,” said Sam Richmond, a staff member at the Summers County Emergency Operations Center.
Richmond said the EOC has not received any official reports of flooding-related problems, like property damage or displaced families. Waters on the Greenbrier and New rivers are receding, and they did not reach the levels authorities originally feared. Water is back inside the banks where some high water was reported along creeks.
There have been no official reports of flooding along the Little Bluestone River, Richmond said. There may have been some isolated incidents in low-lying areas or around the nearby streams and tributaries, but the EOC has not been informed if this did happen.
Richmond noted that no flood watches or flood warnings were in effect for Summers County Sunday evening.
— E-mail: apridemore@register-herald.com
