WHEELING — Three people are dead and multiple people are missing after Saturday night’s flash floods, Ohio County Emergency Management Agency Director Lou Vargo said Sunday morning.

Vargo said that, according to the National Weather Service, Ohio County received between 2.5 and 4 inches of rain over a half-hour period Saturday. The Wheeling Fire Department deployed two swiftwater rescue teams to help stranded residents. Rescue attempts were delayed, Vargo said, because of extensive infrastructure damage.

U.S. 40 from Peters Run Road to Valley Grove is closed, Vargo said, as are several other roads in the county.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency in Ohio County.

Rescue and recovery operations began late Saturday night with multiple state agencies responding to requests for assistance. Morrisey ordered personnel and resources to mobilize and respond to any emergency and delegated certain administrative powers to the director of the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to facilitate the provision of essential emergency services.

State resources are on the ground assisting local officials with search and rescue, including the Department of Natural Resources and the State Police. The Division of Highways was already clearing roads and debris Saturday, and Morrisey has directed the National Guard to provide all necessary assistance.

“Please keep impacted communities in your prayers,” Morrisey said. “More storms are expected in the region today. Please follow all directives from local and state emergency management officials and do not attempt to drive through flooded roads.”

Those in Ohio County displaced by Saturday’s floods can use Elm Grove Elementary as a shelter, the Wheeling Police Department announced.

As of 12:30 a.m. Sunday, road closures included: Shilling Bridge, the Lumber Avenue area, Cadillac Avenue, U.S. 40/National Road in various areas for cleanup (Woodsdale, Elm Grove near Dairy Queen, closed at Exit 5 for traffic going to Triadelphia), U.S. 40/National Road into Triadelphia and various roads in Triadelphia/Valley Grove.

Shilling Bridge in Elm Grove will be closed until further notice due to the massive amounts of debris that hit it during Saturday night’s floods, according to Wheeling Police and Fire spokesman Philip Stahl.

Wheeling authorities conducted several water rescues at Overbrook and Lumber Avenue. Stahl said one officer told him the water at Lumber Avenue was up to his chest.

According to the Appalachian Power outage map, there were 3,087 customers without power as of 11:30 p.m. Saturday, mostly concentrated in the Oglebay area, as well as Valley Grove and Triadelphia.

The path of destruction, Stahl said, went through the Valley Grove and Triadelphia communities along National Road and into the Overbrook area in Elm Grove. Water seemed to have started receding in the Elm Grove area, he added. There has been some concern in the Washington Avenue neighborhood, as water had risen there to 14 feet and had risen 3 feet in an hour, Stahl said.

Stahl added that he had seen multiple refrigerators, large storage containers, vehicles and boats floating down the creeks.

“The massive amount of debris I’ve seen floating down the creek is something I’ve never seen in my life,” Stahl said.