Community Bulletin
A longtime State Farm agent on Buckhannon's Main Street, Kelley Tierney offers home, auto, life and renters insurance — plus State Farm financial services — under the company's "Here For What Matters" approach. Read more →
This story brought to you paywall-free, courtesy of the My Buckhannon team and our community partners
Barbour County is under a state of emergency after severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall caused significant flooding and damage across the county beginning Saturday, July 18.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared the emergency, which allows state agencies to coordinate with local officials, mobilize resources and provide assistance to affected communities.
“When West Virginians are facing an emergency, we’re going to move quickly to get the people and resources in place to help,” Morrisey said. “We’re working closely with local emergency officials to assess damage, support response efforts, and help affected communities recover as quickly as possible.”
Heavy rainfall overwhelmed streams, creeks, drainage systems and transportation infrastructure in parts of the county, washing out bridges, damaging water lines and forcing road closures, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
The proclamation authorizes the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to coordinate the state’s response, mobilize personnel and resources as needed, and support local emergency management officials. Morrisey also delegated certain administrative authorities to the division’s director to help expedite response operations.
The state of emergency will remain in effect for 30 days unless terminated earlier or extended by a subsequent proclamation.
The declaration followed a busy evening of storm response for local fire crews. The Philippi Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched at 3:46 p.m. Saturday, with automatic mutual aid from Belington and Junior volunteer fire departments, for a water rescue on Cherokee Road in the Arden area, the department reported.
Flash flooding washed out roads and bridges and trapped several residents as creeks and streams quickly rose, the department said. Crews from Philippi, Belington and Junior responded with UTVs and boats, while Nutter Fort Volunteer Fire Department provided station coverage.
As reports of additional trapped residents came in, crews requested Grafton Fire Department’s boat but canceled the request after water levels began to recede.
Although rescue boats ultimately were not needed, three residents were safely evacuated from their homes by UTV after roads and bridges became impassable. Crews remained on scene until about 9:08 p.m.
The flooding was not the department’s only call that evening. At 6:21 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to a reported structure fire on Morral Hollow Road, where a controlled burn had briefly spread before the homeowner extinguished it. No structures were involved. At 6:43 p.m., another call came in for a reported brush fire on Upper Pleasant Creek Road, where crews found a tree on a power line with no active fire.
The department thanked the agencies that assisted through the night, including Belington VFD, Junior VFD, Nutter Fort VFD, the Barbour County Ambulance Authority, the Barbour County Sheriff’s Department and Grafton Fire Department.
Both the department and Morrisey urged residents to stay away from flooded roads as recovery continues.
“Never drive through flooded roadways,” the department said. “It only takes a small amount of moving water to sweep a vehicle away, and conditions can change rapidly.”
