Community Bulletin
Fred W. Eberle Technical Center in Buckhannon is enrolling students in its commercial driver’s license (CDL) training program, an accelerated course that can be completed in five to seven weeks. Both daytime and limited evening sessions are available. Read more →
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On Tuesday, a woman reached out to My Buckhannon. Her son and his wife live in Lewis County. As the waters swiftly rose last week, they grabbed their four cats and scrambled to the highest part of their house.
No one came, but they weathered the storm, and once the waters receded, they found that the whole block had flooded. Seven feet of mud, water and sewage had filled their home.
They are safe, living with relatives in Buckhannon and Good Hope, and have access to basic needs thanks to the many donation drives. But like many others, they face an uncertain — and terrifying — future.
“Their house is not fixable,” the mom wrote. “They lost everything. They need money.”
One organization with more than a century of experience responding to disasters has set up sites in Upshur and Lewis counties to help folks with emergency financial needs.
The American Red Cross opened a service center Thursday at the West Virginia Wesleyan College library, where residents whose homes were destroyed or badly damaged by the July 21 storm can apply for financial assistance.
The center at 59 College Ave. is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, August 1. Proof of identity and residence — a state-issued ID and a current utility bill — is required.
The Red Cross is also stationed at the West Virginia State Fire Academy, 2600 Old Mill Road in Weston, on the same dates and times.
To schedule an appointment or ask questions, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcross.org/gethelp.
Locally, the City of Buckhannon and the Upshur County Commission designated two funds for financial contributions: one administered by the Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur, the other by the Tygart Valley United Way. The two governmental bodies said they would oversee the distribution of that money, prioritizing “residents facing severe damage, displacement or loss of essential property.”
The United Way fund said it has taken in more than 350 individual gifts, including $50,000 from WVU Medicine. Citizens Bank of West Virginia gave $25,000 to initiate the Rotary fund.
Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur President Deb Harrison said the group is still working through the details about how the fund will work. They can currently accept donations in the form of checks — Citizens Bank is working on a way to accept online gifts, she said — and the club plans to meet Tuesday, August 4, to begin figuring out what to do with the money.
“This is all new for us, and there are many details to manage,” Harrison wrote in an email to My Buckhannon. “Many of the details will be worked out during our meeting on August 4. It will be a work session to plan short- and long-term goals set by Rotary for helping our community through this crisis. This journey is going to be a long one.”
At the Tygart Valley United Way, questions about how individuals could apply for assistance from the Lewis Upshur Flood Assistance Fund were directed to Chief Executive Officer Brett White, who had not returned voicemails seeking comment as of Thursday evening.
Federal help is also possible but has not been approved yet.
Governor Patrick Morrisey asked President Donald Trump on July 25 for an expedited major disaster declaration covering Upshur, Lewis and five other counties. West Virginia’s congressional delegation sent its own letter the same day, putting initial assistance needs in Upshur and Lewis counties at nearly $5 million.
Trump had not acted on the request as of Wednesday, when Morrisey said he was in regular contact with Homeland Security and FEMA about it.
“I’m going to push the feds and the president as hard as possible,” Morrisey said.
If the declaration comes, individual assistance would help families cover temporary housing, home repairs and the replacement of essential property.
Until then, checks payable to the Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur Foundation can be presented at any Citizens Bank of West Virginia location or mailed to Rotary Club of BU, PO Box 2573, Buckhannon, WV 26201. Contributions to the United Way fund can be made at secure.qgiv.com/for/lewisupshurfloodfund.
Mayor Robbie Skinner said Wednesday that money can also go through the Upshur Parish House, which accepts online donations.
For the mom whose son lost his home — and so many others displaced by the flood — the water is gone, but disaster still has no end in sight.
“I have been crying every night,” she said.
