CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Powerful downpours triggered sudden flash flooding across parts of West Virginia, swamping homes and businesses, damaging bridges and forcing emergency crews into multiple water rescues, officials said.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey deployed 100 members of the West Virginia National Guard to communities hit hardest in the state’s northern region and issued a statewide emergency declaration covering all 55 counties Tuesday night. Another 200 Guard members were expected to be in place by late Wednesday morning.
“State and local agencies will remain on the ground for as long as it takes to help affected communities,” Morrisey said in a statement, as flood response efforts continued.
Meteorologists reported that some areas received as much as 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rainfall. Authorities had not immediately reported any deaths.
The National Weather Service office in Charleston warned Tuesday night that several communities were facing life-threatening flooding, issuing an urgent message for residents to “SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!”
In Weston, Bob Pfister said electricity was still working at the hotel where he was staying, even as floodwater covered the first floor. He said most guests appeared prepared to remain there until Wednesday morning.
“Right now this option is much better than a shelter and a life boat,” Pfister wrote in a Facebook post. “If the power goes out that may change a whole lot!”
Images and videos shared on social media captured the scale of the West Virginia flooding, showing vehicles nearly swallowed by water in parking lots, including outside a Walmart in Weston where muddy floodwater pushed deep into the store.
Emergency crews reported dozens of rescues of people stuck in submerged vehicles. However, some rescuers were unable to get to locations where floodwaters had cut off access.
Flash flood warnings in the state expired by Wednesday morning. Other warnings were issued for parts of neighboring Virginia.
The heavy rains were part of wide-ranging storms that also produced reports of tornadoes stretching from the Cincinnati area across New Jersey to the New York City suburbs. Damage from a possible tornado was reported in the area of St. Marys and Belmont in West Virginia.
Emergency service communication channels were buzzing with activity late Tuesday night in Lewis and Upshur counties, which have about 40,000 residents combined.
First responders were performing water rescues for hours Tuesday night into Wednesday, Lewis County Commissioner Agnes Quinn Queen said.
“The devastation across our county is extensive,” she said in a social media post.
A sinkhole caused by the storm swallowed a vehicle at a bar Tuesday night in Fayetteville, in southern West Virginia.
Morrisey urged residents to stay at home and said travel conditions remained hazardous Tuesday night. Floodwaters forced the closure of portions of Interstate 79, U.S. Route 48 and numerous secondary roads. The ground was already saturated after storms dumped more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain throughout the state on Saturday.
Tuesday’s storms occurred a decade after 23 people died after heavy rains fell for hours over the same areas.
Data from a U.S. Geological Survey water gauge showed one creek tributary, Sand Run, rose to a record level near Buckhannon, topping the mark set during a November 1985 flood event that resulted in 47 deaths statewide.
___
Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
