Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia’s governor, said on Thursday that at least two people are unaccounted for in Upshur county, after torrential rain caused flash floods in parts of the state this week.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday morning, Morrisey said that during the search and recovery operations state police located an overturned vehicle in Upshur county that’s believed to be “connected to two individuals who were reported missing”.
“Because of dangerous conditions and a significant amount of debris surrounding the vehicle, responders have still be unable to safely access it,” he said, adding that the efforts are ongoing.
He continued: “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. Our thoughts are obviously with the families who are going through a very, very difficult time.”
On Wednesday, Morriseysaid at a news conference that the state remained in a “phase of search and rescue” with teams working to “identify any individual who we might be able to save”.
“We are concerned about loss of life,” Morrisey said.
It comes as on Tuesday, Morrisey declared a state of emergency for all ۵۵ counties across West Virginia and issued a “state of preparedness” as severe weather approached, directing state agencies to stand ready to respond. Initially, about ۱۰۰ national guard members were deployed to the hardest-hit areas but then on Wednesday another ۴۰۰ national guard members were mobilized to support ongoing flood-response operations.
The governor’s office said on Tuesday that “a series of storm systems” had “moved across the state” and produced “severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, torrential rainfall, mudslides and rapidly rising water in many communities”.
The most significant impacts, the office said, were reported in Lewis, Pleasants and Upshur counties, where flooding and related damage had prompted emergency response efforts.
On Thursday, Morrisey said “a lot of homes” were “destroyed” and businesses “harmed,” noting that the state will ensure that “those damage assessments get reported” and urged people to fill out an online form to report damages.
Images and videos shared online show vehicles submerged in parking lots, flooded homes and neighborhood streets transformed into waterways.
During the news conference on Wednesday, Morrisey described the storms as “quite extraordinary” and noted that “we had a significant amount of rainfall occur within a very short period of time”.
In Upshur county, he said, about ۴.۵in of rain fell in just ۳۷ minutes. “When things like that happen, there’s no place for the water to go,” he said. “And so that’s one of the reasons why you see here in Upshur county that there’s still a fair amount of water covering parts of the city.”
The governor also said his office was aware that “there are still many people who are without power here in the mountain state” and said that “utility crews are working very very hard to get to all these places”.
As of Thursday morning, there were more than ۶,۰۰۰ residents in West Virginia without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
During the news conference, Morrisey said what “we’re hearing is that the main line of the severe weather has moved through”, but he warned that “the ground is still saturated and the rivers remain high, so we’re going to continue to consult with the National Weather Service and monitor all the conditions around the clock.
“This is a time for West Virginians to come together to do everything possible, not only to pray for all those who are affected, but we’re going to need a lot of help in the days and weeks ahead,” Morrisey said. “Let’s help these communities rebuild.”
On Wednesday evening, the West Virginia department of transportation said crews were out in “full force” working to “clear debris, remove downed trees and safely reopen roads”.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Charleston, West Virginia, said on Thursday morning that “quiet weather is expected through the end of the work week, with patchy dense fog possible each night”, but that “chances of showers and thunderstorms begin working back into the area over the weekend”.
