West Virginia deploys National Guard after severe flash floods

West Virginia deployed about 500 National Guard members after torrential rain triggered flash floods that inundated homes and businesses, washed out bridges and forced more than 100 water rescues across the northern part of the state.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties Tuesday night as storms brought severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, mudslides and rapidly rising water to many communities. By Wednesday, he said the state remained in a “phase of search and rescue,” with teams working to “identify any individual who we might be able to save.”

“We are concerned about loss of life,” Morrisey said at a news conference. He said officials did not have an exact number of people unaccounted for but were “concerned about fatalities.”

The most significant impacts were reported in Lewis, Pleasants and Upshur counties, according to the governor’s office. Emergency crews in Lewis and Upshur counties performed rescues Tuesday night into Wednesday after floodwaters cut off roads and trapped people in vehicles. Some rescuers could not reach certain locations because of high water.

Forecasters said as much as 7 inches of rain fell in parts of the state. Morrisey said Upshur County received about 4.5 inches in 37 minutes. “When things like that happen, there’s no place for the water to go,” he said.

The governor initially deployed about 100 National Guard members to the hardest-hit areas, then mobilized an additional 400 on Wednesday to support flood response operations. Nineteen National Guard and state police helicopters were either conducting rescue missions or standing by if needed, CBS News reported. Three shelters opened Wednesday and housed more than 100 residents.

Photos and videos shared online showed submerged vehicles in parking lots, flooded homes and neighborhood streets turned into waterways. CBS News reported muddy water surged into a Walmart in Weston, while a nearby hotel’s main floor was inundated. Another video showed a man and his son evacuating their home shortly before their shed floated away.

Flooding closed portions of Interstate 79, U.S. Route 48 and numerous secondary roads. A sinkhole caused by the storm swallowed a vehicle at a bar in Fayetteville, CBS News reported. The West Virginia Department of Transportation said Wednesday evening that crews were out in “full force” clearing debris, removing downed trees and working to reopen roads safely.

Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner said officials in some communities were waiting for floodwaters to recede before setting up locations for donated supplies. One site will be West Virginia Wesleyan College, he said.

“This is heartbreaking,” Skinner said. “This is not something you want to see in your hometown. But we will get past it. We will get through it.”

The storms were part of a wide system stretching from the Cincinnati area across New Jersey to the New York City suburbs, with at least 14 reported tornadoes across six states Tuesday. In central Ohio, damaging winds ripped the roof off a church east of Columbus, and trees fell in parts of New York.

The ground in West Virginia was already saturated after storms dropped more than 2 inches of rain statewide on Saturday. Although the rain had moved out by Wednesday, flood warnings remained for several counties, especially low-lying areas and places near rivers and creeks. The National Weather Service in Charleston said Thursday morning that quiet weather was expected through the end of the work week, with patchy dense fog possible each night, but chances of showers and thunderstorms would return over the weekend.

Morrisey said utility crews were working to restore service to residents without power. As of Thursday morning, more than 6,000 West Virginia residents remained without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.

“This is a time for West Virginians to come together to do everything possible, not only to pray for all those who are affected, but we’re going to need a lot of help in the days and weeks ahead,” Morrisey said. “Let’s help these communities rebuild.”