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The West Virginia State Police have identified two people who died in the flooding that struck Upshur County this week.
Judy A. Young, 59, and James J. Harper, 61, both of Upshur County, were found dead inside a vehicle recovered from the Stonecoal Lake area, police said.
A preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle was swept from the roadway by rapidly rising floodwaters. The next of kin have been notified, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The identifications follow the discovery of an overturned vehicle that Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Thursday was believed to be connected to two people reported missing after the flooding. Dangerous conditions and debris had kept responders from reaching the vehicle, and the governor said officials would release additional information once crews could safely complete the operation and next of kin had been notified.
“Once responders are able to safely complete the operation, and there’s been formal identification as well as notification of next of kin, we will release additional information,” Morrisey said Thursday. “We have to do this the right way.”
The deaths came after flash flooding overwhelmed Buckhannon and surrounding communities Tuesday evening, when a fast-moving storm dropped more than seven inches of rain in the Buckhannon area, with 4.5 inches falling in just 37 minutes, Mayor Robbie Skinner said.
