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Twenty dead in West Virginia in state's worst floods in a century West Virginia death toll rises to 23 in state's worst floods in a century
(about 5 hours later)
At least 20 people in West Virginia have died in the US state’s worst flooding in more than a century, and hundreds more have been rescued from swamped homes, government officials said on Friday. As a deluge swamped West Virginia in a disaster that killed at least 23 people Ronnie Scott’s wife called him and told him their house was filling up with water. She fled to the attic with two dogs and a cat and waited. She smelled natural gas.
The mountainous state was pummeled by up to 10 inches of rain on Thursday, causing rivers and streams to overflow. Then, the house blew up.
“The damage is widespread and devastating,” Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said at a news conference. “Our biggest challenge continues to be high waters.” Belinda Scott was able to break a vent and get out onto a porch, then make it onto a tree, which she clung to for hours before being rescued by state police, Ronnie Scott said on Friday. His wife was in the hospital with burns to 67% of her body. The pets did not make it out alive.
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A spokeswoman for the state division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said the state medical examiner had put the death toll at 20. The hardest-hit area was Greenbrier County in the southwestern part of the state, with 15 deaths, she said. “My wife was out there four and a half hours hanging in a tree with a house burning right beside her, flood waters running all around her,” said Scott.
Multiple rivers have risen to dangerous heights, including the Elk river, which reached 32 feet, the highest since 1888, Tomblin said. Early reports indicate about 9 inches of rain damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes and knocked out power to tens of thousands of others, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said.
Government officials are focusing resources on rescuing those trapped or swept away by the flooding, he said, adding that 66,000 residences are without power. About 500 people were stranded overnight in a shopping center when a bridge washed out, and dozens of other people had to be plucked off rooftops or rescued from their cars.
The governor declared a state of emergency in 44 of 55 counties and deployed 200 members of the West Virginia national guard to help rescue efforts on Friday. “Our focus remains on search and rescue,” the governor said. He added: “It’s been a long 24 hours and the next 24 hours may not be much easier.”
Though rivers were expected to crest by Friday night, the rescue and recovery effort is likely to last through the weekend, said Tim Rock, spokesman for the West Virginia division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Sheriff Jan Cahill described “complete chaos” in Greenbrier County, one of the hardest hit.
“There have been towns that have been completely surrounded by water,” Rock said. “People say there is 8 to 9 feet of water in their house. “Roads destroyed, bridges out, homes burned down, washed off foundations,” he said. “Multiple sections of highway just missing. Pavement just peeled off like a banana. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“It’s at least into the hundreds forced to get emergency shelter,” he said. “Even if you can get back into your home, who knows what kind of shape it’s in.” In the towns of Rainelle and White Sulphur Springs, rescue crews went door to door to check on residents, a painstaking task that could stretch into the weekend. Once a residence was checked, a red or orange Xwas marked on the home.
West Virginia received one-quarter of its annual rainfall in a single day, National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira said. Rains eased on Friday with only scattered showers expected. The state Division of Homeland Security reported 15 people killed in Greenbrier County and rescue efforts continue.
The storms that drenched West Virginia were part of a severe weather system that has swept through the US Midwest, triggering tornadoes. Around 200 National Guardsmen were assisting in eight counties, helping local crews with swift water rescues, search and extraction efforts and health and welfare checks. The governor declared a state of emergency in 44 of 54 counties and authorized up to 500 soldiers to assist.
The governor said he had planned to fly around the hard-hit areas, but was not able to because all state aircraft were being used for rescues.
Some of the heaviest rainfall was in Greenbrier County, where The Greenbrier resort and golf course is nestled in the mountains. The course, overrun by floodwaters, is scheduled to host a PGA tour event from 4-10 July.
“It’s like nothing I’ve seen,” owner Jim Justice, a Democratic candidate for governor, said in a statement. “But our focus right now isn’t on the property, golf course or anything else. We’re praying for the people and doing everything we can to get them the help they need.”
Professional golfer Bubba Watson was visiting the resort and tweeted photos of entire holes underwater: “Prayers for @The_Greenbrier & surrounding areas. We are without power & it’s still raining. Never seen this much rain! #WestVirginiaBeSafe.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was sending teams to help with damage assessments.
The governor’s office said 14 deaths were confirmed by the state medical examiner. Local sheriffs and rescue workers across the state confirmed the others not yet included in the state’s official tally.
One of the dead included a 4-year-old boy who was found about a quarter mile from where he fell into a creek, which usually runs about ankle deep but rose to about 6 feet deep when Jackson County was pounded with 9 inches of rain in 16 hours.
Bob Bibbee of the Ravenswood Fire Department said the boy was outside with his grandfather, who jumped in after him. Neighbors, alerted by the sound of the family’s screams, tried to help save the boy but were also unable to reach him.
In White Sulphur Springs, Scott said out of 10 houses on his dead end street, only three were left standing, and they were badly damaged. His son, daughter-in-law, two grandkids and a nephew were two houses down and trapped in the attic during the storm, but they were also rescued.
“Everything that I’ve lost can be replaced,” he said. “I’ve got my kids and that’s the main thing.”