As floodwaters across Kanawha County recede, residents are left asking: What's next?

The flood, which neighbors described as a river almost five feet deep, swept Harper's car downhill along with an assortment of other properties, including several cars, sheds, and a house. Harper — left with no other choice — jumped out of the window of her car into the debris-filled rush of water.

"There was a man yelling 'come on, come on' at me, 'come on, I have to get you.'" Harper said. "I jumped, but my arm was still stuck on part of the car, and it dragged me through the water. I couldn't let go until I hit [a tree] and then I went under. He pulled me up and drug me onto the floor."

Harper waited as the man, a city worker stationed in the area at the time of the flood, dragged her out of the water onto the porch of a nearby house, where they sat and waited for the flood to recede enough so Harper could be transported to the hospital. Neighbors across the street tied themselves to the front posts of their porch to wade through the water and deliver a phone to Harper so she could call in for rescue.

City officials have not yet released the worker's name or what department he works for.

"It felt like hours," said Harper, "It felt like forever. He sat on that porch with me for an hour or two. I got out of the E.R. at 1 a.m. I have no clue when they came and got me."

Harper was one of more than 50 water rescue calls logged across the county as of Monday morning due to Sunday's flash flood. Though no fatalities have been reported in Kanawha County, a majority of the residents on the street stated severe water damage to the inside and outside of their homes. As the water has receded, residents and city officials alike are taking stock of what can be salvaged and how exactly a flood like this could have occurred.

A woman died in Fayette County Sunday after her vehicle was swept away by flood waters, according to a social media post by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.

How did this happen?

Garrison Avenue — a narrow, sloped road in a hollow on ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's near West Side — is historically prone to flooding, though nothing of this severity has occurred in decades, according to locals. Anna Martin, one of the neighbors who delivered the phone to Harper, said this is the first she has seen a flood this bad.

"There was a flood through here about two years ago," Martin, who has lived in the area for three years, said, "But nothing like this. We left as soon as we could just in case the flooding came again, but came back around 4 a.m. this morning. Thankfully, nothing came inside, but for people up the road, it did."

A historic flood occurred in the area in 1961, which killed 22 people. Other substantial floods occurred in the 1980s and in 2003, according to locals.

"Back in 2003, it flooded pretty good," said Martin Holstein, who lives in the 200 block of Garrison Avenue. "It took out several homes."

Residents mentioned a lack of proper maintenance in the stormwater system higher within the nearby Edgewood neighborhood, which some Garrison Avenue residents believe led to the extreme flooding. 

"The city of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä does not need a new sewer system, they need to take care of the drainage problem." Jerry Walker, who has lived on Garrison Avenue for 35 years, said on Monday. "You drive up through [the hills] and you see waterfalls coming from four or five places stripping the land of everything."

Ward 7 Council Member Beth Kerns said perceived negligence of stormwater-drain maintenance could be due to a lack of personnel. 

"There are around 300 streets to cover and the city is working with skeleton crews," Kerns said. "I know some departments have three crews. There are so many streets that flooded last night, mine included. This is a catastrophe that the city does not have bandwidth to prepare for."

The aftermath

The residents of Garrison Avenue spent Monday assessing their situations, calling their insurance companies and helping their neighbors where they could. Rhonda Walker, the wife of Jerry Walker, predicted her house would most likely be condemned. 

"Two years ago in April, we were majorly flooded," Walker said. "We had insurance, then they dropped us. We was able to get flood insurance this last time, but they said it would be two or three days before they got back to me. The house will probably be condemned. After that, we're out of here."

Flood insurance premiums in the area spiked after several smaller floods in recent years led to claims in the areas, said Rhonda Walker. The rates jumped to around $3000 per year, which left many residents with canceled insurance unable to pay the higher rates.

Holstein, whose house was pushed 15 feet off of its foundation Sunday night by floodwaters while he was still inside, said the next step is most likely demolition. 

"It's destroyed," Holstein said, "I don't have no insurance. They canceled on the last flood after I had a claim. We're out of here for good."

City response

City Council planned to discuss storm relief during Monday's City Council meeting, Council Member Kerns said. Wayne Richardson, a foreman with the City of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Cleaning Crew, said they had been already working on clearing debris earlier that night before the flood, and worked through the night after the flood receded.

"We started specifically with trash cleanup," said Richardson, "but once that rain came, it was a monsoon. Now we're trying to scrape up the road, get everything cleaned up so cars can pass. There's not much we can do about people's homes flooding."

Brent Webster, Director of Public Works for the City of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, declined to comment when asked about the drainage infrastructure around Garrison Avenue.

County response

Cabin Creek, Campbells Creek, and Cross Lanes/Tyler Mountain also had about half-dozen water rescue calls each on Sunday, according to Metro 911.

Cabin Creek was first to get hit following heavy storms Sunday morning. The Cross Lanes/Tyler Mountain area was swamped in the late afternoon, and Campbells Creek absorbed a third storm Sunday night, along with ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.

The Kanawha County Commission also released a separate storm damage survey to begin the process of assessing property damage from the floods. The county emphasized that this survey is not an application for financial assistance, but that residents will be notified when assistance becomes available. 

“We want to make sure we have an accurate picture of the damage caused by Sunday’s flooding,� said Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango in the news release. “Even if you are unsure whether your damage will qualify for assistance, we encourage residents to report it. Having accurate information about the extent of the damage is important as we work with state and emergency management officials to determine what assistance may be available.�