Photo by Joselyn King Ohio County Emergency Management Agency Director Lou Vargo, left, and County 911 Director Theresa Russell attend a meeting at the Ohio County Emergency Operations Center Friday.

WHEELING — A little more than a week after the Ohio River crested at one its highest peaks in recent memory, residents on both sides of the mighty Ohio must brace again for flood levels along the river.

As emergency management and first responders in Ohio County prepared for the coming flood, Ohio County Emergency Management Director Lou Vargo says those needing help with high waters need to “call a human,” and not post their issues on social media.

Social media posts often don’t get read immediately during an emergency, he explained.

“It might be hours. Call and talk to a human being,” Vargo said.

Those experiencing flooding and other weather-related emergencies should call (304) 234-3711 — which rings in to the County 911 Dispatch Center.

For the second time in the course of a week, city and county first responders and support personnel met Friday afternoon at the Emergency Operations Center to discuss imminent flooding issues expected this weekend.

Vargo informed those present that as of 1 p.m. Friday the Ohio River was expected to crest at 8 p.m. Saturday at 39.9 feet — slightly below the 41.49 feet the river rose to a week ago.

He told the group that crews should be out and ready to respond beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday. He said there was no call to have extra personnel on duty Friday into Saturday as there wouldn’t be much for them to do until people began waking up Saturday morning.

It was announced the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack was closing at 5 p.m. Friday, though a crew of 18 employees would remain there during the flooding.

Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger asked whether the flooding was affecting the new temporary homeless camp located off the maintenance trail along Wheeling Creek. Vargo said it had not, and that the location was unlikely to be affected by rising water.

The Wheeling Nailers game set for Friday at WesBanco Arena was postponed, and the game scheduled for Saturday has been moved tentatively to Sunday with a time to be announced.

It was explained that it wasn’t expected floodwater would enter WesBanco Arena, as the river needs to come up to at least 43 feet for that to happen and that isn’t predicted.

The problem is that at 38 feet WesBanco Arena must shut off its sewers, and there are no restroom facilities, officials said.

Fire Chief Jim Blazier said last weekend there were 61 calls from people needing to have water pumped from their basements. In the end, just 10 needed service as the water began to recede.

County Health Department Administrator Howard Gamble reported the health department continues to have tetanus shots available to those who need them. These are available during business hours Monday through Friday.

Schwertfeger asked what the wind conditions were predicted to be.

“Last weekend was very calm, other than the river conditions,” he said. “If we have high wind we’ve got a risk of downed trees and power lines.”

The group reviewed weather conditions, and found that rainfall for the coming days was expected to be minimal with no high winds.

Schwertfeger brought with him his flood plan book. He explained when he took it out of his filing cabinet last week he realized it had been six years since he last touched it.

“Now I’ve taken it out again six days later,” he said.

Marshall County EMA Director Tom Hart said he couldn’t remember the last time the region was hit with a 1-2 punch of flooding like it will see this time around. Among the top 50 Ohio River crests in Wheeling in recorded history, there have been four instances where high crests came within nine days of each other — Jan. 23 and Jan. 26, 1937; March 5 and March 8, 1945; Jan. 7 and Jan. 13, 2005; and March 16 and March 24, 2007.

In Marshall County, Hart said the Ohio River is expected to crest in Moundsville at 41.6 feet — 4.6 feet above flood stage. Parts of Fish Creek Road and Big Wheeling Creek Road were still closed as of Friday afternoon due to water on the roadway, he continued.

“The river is projected to crest at 39.9 feet — which will cause water to flood the Boggs Run underpass and North Marshall Street in Benwood in the business district,” Hart said.

He reported that clean up from last week’s flooded continued this week, and it’s likely the same property owners will be back at it next week.

“Many of the same areas hit last week were hit again (Thursday),” Hart said.

As rain steadily fell, sometimes heavily, between Thursday night and Friday, the Ohio River wasn’t the only issue that emergency management had to deal with. On Thursday night, Hart said the Glen Dale Fire Department rescued a family from a partially submerged car near Little Grave Creek by St. Jude Park. The family was brought from the car safely, Hart said.

Vargo said high waters left a group of people off of Wildlife Road scrambling for higher ground, but he said they were able to head home safely after the flooding subsided.

Power outages also were an issue around Ohio County, Vargo said. About 2,500 were temporarily without power Friday in South Wheeling due to transformer issues, but those customers were restored. A landslide that blocked off Middle Creek Road outside of Triadelphia also knocked over a light pole and cut power. Power has been restored to all but six customers in that area.

With emergency responders at the ready to help flood victims for the second time in about a week, there’s no doubt they’re experienced. Last week, there were some first responders who had never been involved with a flood, Wheeling Deputy Police Chief William Noice said.

“They had a trial run, and now they’re going to do it again,” he said. “There won’t be any first-timers.”