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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
At Least 4 People Dead, Multiple Others Missing After Nearly 30-Minute Rainstorm Causes Devastation in West Virginia
At least four people, including a 3-year-old child, are dead, and multiple others remain missing amid severe storms and flooding in West Virginia Multiple inches of rain reportedly fell in the state's Ohio County in a nearly 30-minute time span, overwhelming local waterways and infrastructure "I've seen major floods here in the city and the county. I've never seen anything like this," a local emergency management director saidFour people, including a 3-year-old child, are dead, and multiple others remain missing amid severe storms and flooding in northern West Virginia. During a press conference on Sunday, June 15, Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed that at least four people were dead and at least four more had been reported missing after a rainstorm hit the area the night prior. 'This is a very difficult time for Ohio County and West Virginia,' Morrisey said during the broadcast, which was streamed online. CBS affiliate WTRF reported that 2.5 to 4 inches of rain fell in parts of the state's Ohio County in a nearly 30-minute time span, overwhelming local waterways and infrastructure. The Ohio County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), the Wheeling Police Department, the Ohio County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are now taking part in rescue efforts to help find the missing people, as well as identify others who have not yet been reported missing, Gov. Morrisey said. Lou Vargo, the county's emergency management director, said at the press conference that two missing people were found after the flooding began on the evening of June 14. He added that 19 "swift water rescues" were also performed. Gov. Morrisey has declared a state of emergency in the county, and the National Guard may be asked to take part in recovery efforts, he said during the press conference. CBS News reported that cars were pulled into overflowing waterways, people climbed into trees for safety and one fire broke out during the flash flood on June 14. "It happened so quickly and so fast," Vargo said during the conference, adding, "I've been doing this for 35 years. I've seen major floods here in the city and the county. I've never seen anything like this." "We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped," he continued. "During this time, we had major infrastructure damage to roads, bridges, and highways, where we couldn't respond to a lot of incidents. So we were delayed in getting there because there was just so much damage." Police spokesperson Phillip Stahl told WTRF that the flooding was also unlike anything he had seen in the area. 'The creeks rose pretty quickly,' Stahl explained. 'There was a massive amount of debris — debris that most people have never seen in their lives. But that was going down the creek. There were boats going down the creek sheds, furniture, gas tank, hot water tanks, conex boxes [shipping containers]. It was a pretty unbelievable sight to see.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Morrisey added during the press conference that damage assessments will begin on Monday, June 16. As of 2 p.m. on June, about 2,500 people were still without power, residents in the town of Apple Grove did not have access to water and more than a dozen bridges and roads were closed throughout the county. Ohio County EMA shared a list of resources for residents, including information about where to report missing persons, where to bring donations and where an emergency overnight shelter is located. 'My number one priority and that of everyone on our team, and those in the local community — it's to identify the missing individuals,' Gov. Morrisey said. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Four killed, four missing after flash flooding in Western Virginia
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Four people have been killed and four more are missing after flash flooding in Western Virginia, the state's governor said on Sunday. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey told reporters that about 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in less than an hour, causing Saturday's flooding in Ohio county, in the northern part of the state. "There is a lot of rain that has hit in a short period of time. We also know that there could be more rain coming soon," Morrisey said. "Please don't get out onto the road," he added. Morrisey said his office had been in touch with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
At Least 4 People Dead, Multiple Others Missing After Nearly 30-Minute Rainstorm Causes Devastation in West Virginia
At least four people, including a 3-year-old child, are dead, and multiple others remain missing amid severe storms and flooding in West Virginia Multiple inches of rain reportedly fell in the state's Ohio County in a nearly 30-minute time span, overwhelming local waterways and infrastructure "I've seen major floods here in the city and the county. I've never seen anything like this," a local emergency management director saidFour people, including a 3-year-old child, are dead, and multiple others remain missing amid severe storms and flooding in northern West Virginia. During a press conference on Sunday, June 15, Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed that at least four people were dead and at least four more had been reported missing after a rainstorm hit the area the night prior. 'This is a very difficult time for Ohio County and West Virginia,' Morrisey said during the broadcast, which was streamed online. CBS affiliate WTRF reported that 2.5 to 4 inches of rain fell in parts of the state's Ohio County in a nearly 30-minute time span, overwhelming local waterways and infrastructure. The Ohio County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), the Wheeling Police Department, the Ohio County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are now taking part in rescue efforts to help find the missing people, as well as identify others who have not yet been reported missing, Gov. Morrisey said. Lou Vargo, the county's emergency management director, said at the press conference that two missing people were found after the flooding began on the evening of June 14. He added that 19 "swift water rescues" were also performed. Gov. Morrisey has declared a state of emergency in the county, and the National Guard may be asked to take part in recovery efforts, he said during the press conference. CBS News reported that cars were pulled into overflowing waterways, people climbed into trees for safety and one fire broke out during the flash flood on June 14. "It happened so quickly and so fast," Vargo said during the conference, adding, "I've been doing this for 35 years. I've seen major floods here in the city and the county. I've never seen anything like this." "We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped," he continued. "During this time, we had major infrastructure damage to roads, bridges, and highways, where we couldn't respond to a lot of incidents. So we were delayed in getting there because there was just so much damage." Police spokesperson Phillip Stahl told WTRF that the flooding was also unlike anything he had seen in the area. 'The creeks rose pretty quickly,' Stahl explained. 'There was a massive amount of debris — debris that most people have never seen in their lives. But that was going down the creek. There were boats going down the creek sheds, furniture, gas tank, hot water tanks, conex boxes [shipping containers]. It was a pretty unbelievable sight to see.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Morrisey added during the press conference that damage assessments will begin on Monday, June 16. As of 2 p.m. on June, about 2,500 people were still without power, residents in the town of Apple Grove did not have access to water and more than a dozen bridges and roads were closed throughout the county. Ohio County EMA shared a list of resources for residents, including information about where to report missing persons, where to bring donations and where an emergency overnight shelter is located. 'My number one priority and that of everyone on our team, and those in the local community — it's to identify the missing individuals,' Gov. Morrisey said. Read the original article on People
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Four killed, four missing after flash flooding in Western Virginia
WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - Four people have been killed and four more are missing after flash flooding in Western Virginia, the state's governor said on Sunday. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey told reporters that about 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in less than an hour, causing Saturday's flooding in Ohio county, in the northern part of the state. "There is a lot of rain that has hit in a short period of time. We also know that there could be more rain coming soon," Morrisey said. "Please don't get out onto the road," he added. Morrisey said his office had been in touch with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Flash flooding kills 5 in West Virginia, rescue teams searching for missing people
Flash flooding caused by torrential rains killed five people in northern West Virginia and rescue crews were searching for three other people who were missing Sunday as authorities assessed damage to roads, bridges, natural gas lines and other infrastructure. Officials said 2.5 to 4 inches (6 to 10 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County within about a half hour on Saturday night. 'We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped,' Lou Vargo, Ohio County's emergency management director, said at a news conference Sunday. 'During this time, we had major infrastructure damage to roads, bridges, and highways where we couldn't respond to a lot of incidents. So we were delayed in getting there because there was just so much damage." Vargo added: 'It happened so quickly and so fast. … I've been doing this for 35 years. I've seen major floods here in the city and the county. I've never seen anything like this.' Authorities said vehicles were swept into swollen creeks, some people sought safety in trees and a mobile home caught fire. Similarly, swift flash flooding arrived in Marion County, south of Wheeling and Ohio County, early Sunday afternoon, causing extensive damage to bridges, roads and some homes, the county's Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management said in a Facebook post. The county's 911 line has already processed at least 165 calls for service since the storms began. Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency in Marion County Sunday evening. Jim Blazier, the fire chief in Wheeling in the state's northern panhandle, said crews performed rescue operations into Sunday's early morning hours. He said first responders regrouped Sunday morning and were focused on an area from the Ohio state line across the Ohio River to Wheeling Creek. 'We're searching the banks, we're searching submerged vehicles, any debris we find along the trail and so forth,' Blazier said. 'We're using drones, search dogs and swift water personnel, and we have teams organized that are searching sectors that we're trying to recover anybody that's missing.' There were about 2,500 reported power outages in the county Sunday, Morrisey confirmed in a news release Sunday evening, which updated the number of people confirmed dead to five, with three more missing. He has declared a state of emergency in Ohio County and mobilized the National Guard to support emergency operations. "In many respects, this is kind of a unicorn event, because a lot of the rain had very narrow areas and there were roughly 3 to 4 inches of water that fell in the area in less than an hour," Morrisey said at a press conference earlier Sunday. "That's very, very difficult to deal with.' He added, 'Your friends, your neighbors, your first responders and people in the community, they're out working very hard to find people. That's our No. 1 task right now, trying to identify anyone who may still be out there.' The West Virginia rains followed heavy downpours in San Antonio on Thursday that killed 13 people. More than 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain fell over a span of hours in the Texas city, causing fast-rising floodwaters to carry more than a dozen cars into a creek. ___ Associated Press writer Jesse Bedayn in Denver contributed. Dave Collins, The Associated Press
