CHARLESTON, W.Va. – On Thursday morning, most of the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred had passed through the state. It seems that Fred had one more trick up his sleeve for the mountain state, though.
At around 8 a.m. on Aug. 19 the Danville area of Boone County received approximately one to one and a half inches of rain in less than two hours. The downpour resulted in rising water along roadways and around homes, washed away bridges, knocked out power and broke a water main making the hardest hit areas inaccessible. Several roads in the area became impassible and flood water washed out bridges and made its way into homes and buildings.
State agencies including the W.Va. Emergency Management Division, State Police, National Guard, Division of Highways, Boone County Emergency Management, local first responders and utility companies worked throughout the day to restore services and perform damage assessments.
Ahead of the impact of this storm, Gov. Jim Justice pledged help with a State of Preparedness declaration. By issuing the declaration, Justice pre-positioned critical state assets for any area affected by the storm.
“When we know this type of weather might impact our state, we do all we can to make sure we’re ready to respond at a moment’s notice,” Gov. Justice said. “I thank our state agencies, the local first responders, utility companies, and the people in these communities for their teamwork.”
On Friday, DOH crews performed damage assessments on affected roads and bridges and the WVNG returned to continue assessing damages to homes and private bridges. Initial reports from DOH approximate 100 truckloads of stone will be needed to stabilize the banks and repair the roads that were undercut. In addition, 200 tons of debris must be removed from the affected areas.
“We will continue to monitor and coordinate this response,” said Greg Fuller, EMD Deputy Director. “As long as counties need assistance, EMD personnel and state resources will continue to be there to help.”
On Friday, EMD’s Public Assistance staff helped Boone County Emergency Management Director Michael Mayhorn access a web-based tool to collect damage assessments from individual homes. Mayhorn reports on Friday afternoon that power had been restored to all but around 25 homes.
“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the support from the state,” said Mayhorn. “The fact that crews were here within hours of the flooding is amazing and says so much about how prepared our leaders are to jump into action.”
