Here's something that I feel isn't getting enough media attention: Parts of West Virginia flooded over the weekend due to torrential downpours, wreaking havoc on at least two counties in the northern region of the state that borders southwestern Pennsylvania. At least six people are dead, including a three-year-old, and at least three others are missing.
Dozens of homes, vehicles, and businesses have been impacted, as well. Officials are still assessing the damage to roads, bridges, and gas lines. CBS reported that many vehicles were swept into local creeks, while residents had to climb into the trees to avoid the rushing waters. ABC13 News reports that at least the Valley Grove community is without water. Many in the area are still without power, as well.
As much as four inches of rain fell within less than 40 minutes on Saturday in the city of Wheeling. Gov. Patrick Morrisey has declared a state of emergency in Ohio and Marion counties. He also called for people to stay off the roads due to the strength and speed of the flooding and to avoid traveling to the impacted areas in the near future.
In the city of Fairmont, which is in Marion County, people had to be rescued after an apartment building collapsed on Sunday under the weight of the water. A local fire department captain said that when he arrived on the scene, he could hear people screaming for help from inside.
Mark Peluchette, president of Liberty Distributors, a business located in Triadelphia, joined "AccuWeather Early" to talk about how the flooding impacted him. He said that a trickle of water suddenly turned into a "river of water that was 4 feet deep and 50 yards wide" and washed his entire business away. He found a tractor trailer and backhoe a mile down the road.
But finding the people who are still missing is state's leaders' number one mission at the moment.
"My number one priority and that of everyone on our team, and those in the local community, is to identify the missing individuals, anything we can do to save lives, but to identify those people," the governor said. He added, "We are hopeful that some might be located safely. We know this morning, we found someone who was originally missing, and that was certainly positive. I want to ask everyone to keep all of these missing people in your prayers."
ABC13 also reports that "State and local agencies, along with the National Guard and the Division of Natural Resources, are actively searching for the missing individuals using drones, UTVs, dive teams, and swift water rescue boats. Morrisey noted that the water is receding, aiding the ongoing rescue efforts."
Admittedly, the reason this was brought to my attention is that I have a friend who lives in the area. She's shared numerous social media posts from people who were impacted in some way, whether their homes flooded and they're missing important personal items or they're missing loved ones. One woman posted that she was looking for her friend who was last seen floating on a trash can with her dog. Unfortunately, that friend's name came up during a Monday afternoon press conference during which officials released the names of the dead.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill says that the area could potentially see more flooding this week. "Due to recent heavy rain that has already saturated the ground, just 1 inch of rain falling in a one-hour time span can generate flooding across much of the state. These individual storms will easily produce rates of 1.5 inches per hour." He says the state should see some relief on Thursday, but it has received 49 Flash Flood Warnings in June alone, the third-most since 1985.
The governor has consistently asked for prayers for the people who live in these areas, and as I was finishing this up tonight, sports media personality Mike Florio, who grew up in the region, put out a plea for help for his home state. I urge anyone else who feels inclined to find a way help if you can, even if it's just keeping the locals there in your prayers.
Seeing all of the footage from this weekend in West Virginia side-by-side with the footage of these privileged folks who can just take time to spend days rioting and protesting an imaginary "king" in Los Angeles and other major cities was such a stark contrast to me. Making sure these people get the help they need is what's really important.