Live updates: 10 WV counties receive Public Assistance approval from FEMA

Gov. Patrick Morrisey on March 19 announced that the Trump administration approved FEMA Public Assistance for Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.

Other counties that are part of Morrisey's Individual Assistance and Public Assistance requests still remain under consideration by FEMA. The Public Assistance (PA) Program provides supplemental grants to state and local governments and certain private non-profits to cover their costs for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and infrastructure restoration.

For Individual Assistance, the following counties have been approved: Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wayne, and Wyoming.

For Public Assistance, the following counties have been approved: Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming

All West Virginia counties are still able to participate in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which can provide resources to alleviate or reduce future flooding and assist Public Service Districts with wastewater treatment and other long-term hazard reduction projects.

For information on how to apply for assistance, visit fema.gov/assistance.

14 counties now under State of Emergency

On March 7, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announce the following West Virginia counties are under a State of Emergency due to the February flooding: Boone, Cabell, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mercer, McDowell, Mingo, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne and Wyoming counties. 

Major Disaster Declaration gets FEMA help for 4 counties

Morrisey announced Wednesday evening the federal government has accepted his request for a Major Disaster Declaration in West Virginia following severe flooding earlier this month.

For now, residents in four counties — McDowell, Mercer, Mingo and Wyoming counties — can receive Individual Assistance through a program that provides funds to people experiencing significant damage to homes or property.

Other counties in the request — Boone, Cabell, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wayne — still remain under consideration by FEMA, according to a news release from Morrisey's office.

“The Major Disaster Declaration will supplement the work being completed on the ground and provide relief to recovering communities in southern West Virginia,� Morrisey said in the release.

The declaration also provides the opportunity for West Virginia counties to participate in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which can provide resources to alleviate or reduce future flooding and assist Public Service Districts with wastewater treatment and other long-term hazard reduction projects.

Morrisey: Power restored, but issues with water, shelter persist

On Thursday, Gov. Morrisey addressed the ongoing situation in southern West Virginia. Here are his updates.

• He reported parts of McDowell County received 4.72 inches of rain in less than 48 hours, which led to the Tug Fork River cresting at 49 feet. "We believe this is the second highest recorded in history," Morrisey said. "It was much worse than the forecast."
• Morrisey has submitted assistance applications to FEMA for 13 southern West Virginia counties.
• The National Guard, Department of Natural Resources, and local emergency personnel have completed 135 swift water rescues since the floods began.
• He's not aware of any other missing people at this point in time.
• Nearly all of the 64,000 customers that lost power due to the flooding have been restored.
• However, there still more than 10,000 people with water delivery disruptions, mostly serviced by the Logan Northern Regional Public Service District.
• There are still 80 residents in shelters in Mingo and McDowell counties.
• Mingo and McDowell county schools are still closed.

"This continues to be an aggressive effort on the state and local level. It makes you proud to be a West Virginian," said Morrisey.

More details released on the 3 dead in McDowell

West Virginia State Police have released the names of the three people who died in flooding near Welch on Monday, as well as more details on the incident.

On Monday at approximately 12:00 p.m., Welch Detachment troopers responded to the area of Summer Street in Welch for a dead man, Donald Eugene Griffin, 69, of Welch. He was found on the bank of the Tug River, according to a news release.

Senior Trooper K. M. Saddler conducted a death investigation and identified the man as an occupant of a silver Chevrolet Silverado that had reportedly been driving in high water and washed into the Tug River on Sunday. The truck was located a short time later in the water near Coney Island in Welch.

At approximately 5:00 p.m. Monday, the truck was partially extricated from the water. A woman, Deborah Griffin, 69, Donald Griffin's wife, was found dead inside. According to witnesses, another occupant of the truck, a 2-year-old boy was seen being removed from the truck by Donald Griffin.

Two girls were able to escape from the truck after trees struck the truck, and the back glass in the truck was damaged, allowing the girls to get out. They were rescued from the water by fire department and EMS personnel.

On Tuesday at approximately 10:30 am, the boy, whose name was not released, was found dead in the area of Hunting Shirt Bottom in Davy, McDowell County, about ten miles from the location of the truck.

The Griffins were the legal guardians of the children, according to the release.

3 confirmed dead in McDowell County

At a live-streamed news conference Tuesday afternoon, McDowell County Commissioner Michael Brooks confirmed three people died in the weekend floodwaters.

Those in McDowell County in need of help can call 888-929-4966 for non-emergency assistance. Folks interested in donating to flood relief efforts can also call that number.

Another flood-related death

Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed an additional flood-related death Tuesday morning, bringing the total to two. Morrisey identified the first two dead as Donald and Debbie Griffin from Welch.

Almost 56,000 West Virginians have had power restored, according to Morrisey. There are 8,319 homes still without power.

Snow accumulations of 4-6 inches are estimated in the southern part of the state this week.

There are major road closures in several counties. Find more information at Transportation.wv.gov.

Over 250 doses of tetanus shots have been delivered to Mingo and Wyoming counties. Over 67,000 bottles of water have also been sent to the affected areas.

Around 5,000 residents of Mingo and McDowell counties are without water.

1 confirmed dead, Disaster Declaration requested

At a news conference Monday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed one fatality due to the weekend’s floods. Several people are still missing. No information is available yet on who died, and how they died, according to Morrisey.

Later Monday, Morrisey toured flooding sites in southern counties and requested a federal Major Disaster Declaration for the state.

“After traveling to southern West Virginia to meet with local officials and assess the damage firsthand, I have asked President Donald Trump for a Major Disaster Declaration,� said Morrisey. “This will help unlock federal resources to support West Virginians hardest hit by the major flooding events of the past few days.�

About 30,000 people in the state are without power, including 58% of Mingo County, Morrisey said in his news conference, as cold temperatures will persist through the week. In the last 36 hours, over 34,000 customers have had power restored.

Mingo, McDowell and Mercer Counties were hardest hit, Morrisey said. McDowell County emergency management entities had over 700 calls for service in the last 36 hours.

Over 38 swift water rescues occurred in the state this weekend. Morrisey said many streams and rivers are still cresting. He’s expecting additional flooding.

Shelters

Morrisey asked affected West Virginians to submit information at emd.wv.gov/DisasterSurvey. The information helps state and local entities coordinate.

Over 50,000 water bottles have already been sent to affected areas with more on the way.

Those in immediate need can find shelter at the following locations:

• Mount View High School, 950 Mount View Road, Welch and other McDowell County schools with buses providing transportation
• Houston Methodist Church, 83 Lavania St., Kimball
• Reclamation Church, 151 Virginia Ave., Welch
• Williamson Field House, 1703 W. Third Ave., Williamson

Morrisey said he will go to affected areas today.

Kanawha County updates

"It looks like the rivers are cresting," said C.W. Sigman Monday morning. Sigman is the director and fire coordinator for Kanawha County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

"We're nowhere near what happened in the southern part of the state. So far, I'm not aware of any houses that had water inside."

According to St. Albans Mayor Scott James, Spruce Street and the Riverlake area were affected by flooding.

In Belle, there were no calls for flooded homes, only high water affecting travels and power outages from high winds, according to Mayor David Fletcher.

Marmet Mayor David Fontalbert said there were no issues except the “usual water in basements.�

Sections of Smith Creek Road and Ferrell Road were impassable Sunday as the Coal River flooded its banks, but no injuries or rescues were reported as of about 3 p.m.

The Little Coal River Road in Alum Creek also has impassable sections, as well as Dry Branch Road near Malden.

Here's what Kanawha County rivers look like, as of 6 a.m. Monday:

• Coal River at Tornado: The river was at 22.6 feet at 8:15 a.m. Monday after cresting at 28.2 feet at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Flood stage is 25 feet.
• Elk River at Queen Shoals: The river is at 12.92 feet at 9 a.m. Monday. It crested at 13.1 feet at 5:15 a.m. Monday. Flood stage is 19 feet.
• Kanawha River at South Side Bridge, ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä: The river was at 26.1 feet at 9:10 a.m. Monday after cresting at 27 feet at 2:15 a.m. Monday. Flood stage is 30 feet.

K9 search and rescue teams sent south on Sunday

K9 Search & Rescue Services of West Virginia Inc. was disbursed by the National Guard Sunday.

Handlers Nathan and Stephanie Justice, CJ Scalf, and Chas Carr planned to search for three people in Welch Monday. However, they could be taken to other areas to search for others, as needed.

They will search downstream on the river banks, combing through debris piles.

While the team hoped to navigate about 2-4 miles of riverbank Monday, the weather is was not on their side.

"Right now, we're battling not only the cold, but there's a lot of high winds, too, and that affects how the dogs can perform," Nathan Justice said. "We're always hopeful when we [can] ... bring somebody home to their loved ones. But at the end of the day, sometimes we do find them deceased."

Morrisey gives Sunday night update

On Sunday evening, Gov. Patrick Morrisey gave an update on the statewide flooding situation.

Morrisey said in a streamed video update that there have been 30 high-water rescues statewide, as of 7 p.m. Sunday.

"At this time, we do not have any confirmed fatalities," Morrisey said. "But we do have some reports of missing people. When we learn more about that, we're going to let you know."

Morrisey said there is "major flooding" on the Tug Fork and Bluestone rivers, with evacuations necessary and damage to buildings and roads. He also said as many as 54,000 West Virginians were without power Sunday.

Earlier, Morrisey declared a state of emergency for 13 Mountain State counties, including Kanawha, Cabell, Boone, Lincoln, Logan and Wayne.

The West Virginia National Guard has deployed five swift-water rescue teams to McDowell County to help.

Gen. Jim Seward, the adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, ended Sunday's update with confidence and prayers.

"We're here until this is done and everyone is home safe," said Seward. "We're praying for everyone affected and we look forward to continuing this mission."

Update on southern coal fields

According to the National Weather Service in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, the Tug Fork River was experiencing major flooding events at Kermit and Williamson. A flood warning expired at 6:30 a.m. Monday.

• Tug Fork at Kermit, Mingo County: The river was at 48.94 feet at 9 a.m. Monday after cresting at 51.2 feet at 12:30 a.m. Flood stage is 38 feet.
• Tug Fork at Williamson, Mingo County: The river was at 28.58 feet at 9 a.m. Monday after cresting at 48.4 feet at 12:45 p.m. Sunday. Flood stage is 27 feet.

APCo power outages

As of 9:15 a.m. Monday, approximately 42,000 Appalachian Power customers were without electricity, including 21,200 in West Virginia, according to a news release from APCo. Power restoration is being hampered by high winds and flooding.

West Virginia’s 30,233 outages among 1,006,909 customers as of 9:17 a.m. Monday represented a 3% outage rate that nearly doubled next-highest state Maryland’s 1.7% outage rate, which was followed by Virginia (1.31%) and Pennsylvania (1.3%), according to a power outage map published by Generac Power Systems.

View an ApCo outage map at appalachianpower.com/outages.

Stay away from sparking equipment, downed lines or anything they may touch. Report electrical hazards to Appalachian Power and 911 immediately. Here are more safety tips during an outage:

• Never remove debris that's within 10 feet of a downed power line.
• Unplug major appliances to protect them when power comes back on.
• Leave a light switch turned on so you know when power is restored.
• Refuel heaters, lamps and generators outside, and away from any flames or sparks.
• If using a generator, ensure proper ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Never operate lanterns, heaters or fuel-fired stoves without proper ventilation.
• Never burn charcoal indoors. It releases poisonous carbon monoxide.

Click here for additional safety tips and click here for ways to save energy during low temperatures.

What's next

On the heels of the high water, the NWS issued a winter weather advisory that expires at 7 a.m. Monday. 

The Kanawha Valley received about an inch of snow overnight Sunday into Monday. It will gradually clear Monday, with a high of 30 and a low of 17.

Slippery road conditions could accompany the transition to snow, according to the NWS. The advisory applies to more than two dozen counties across central and southern West Virginia, including Kanawha, Cabell and Putnam.

Tuesday will be partly sunny with a high of 30, and a low of 18.

More snow is on the way for Wednesday, with 2-4 inches expected and a high of only 27.

This is a developing story. Return to wvgazettemail.com for updates.