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Tornadoes, flooding devastate communities across West Virginia

By STEVEN ALLEN ADAMS and TAYLOR MCKINNIE 7 min read

PLEASANTS COUNTY/UPSHUR COUNTY -- Severe storms that swept across West Virginia Tuesday left behind a path of destruction, flooding and power outages from Pleasants County to Upshur County, damaging homes, businesses and infrastructure while prompting emergency declarations and bringing communities together to help their neighbors.

In Pleasants County, residents began cleaning up Wednesday after suspected tornadoes and high winds damaged homes, mobile homes, power lines and communication towers. In Upshur County, torrential rainfall caused widespread flooding, forcing evacuations, closing roads and leaving thousands without power.

While officials continued assessing the full extent of the damage, no major injuries or fatalities had been reported Wednesday.

Suspected tornadoes damage Pleasants County communities

ST. MARYS -- One day after a storm system that may have produced two tornadoes in Pleasants County, residents of Blue Devil country were doing what they always do -- helping one another.

Tuesday's storms left a trail of damage stretching from the Belmont County border to the Hi-Carpenter Bridge in St. Marys, knocking down signs before continuing east along Greens Run Road and Route 16, where trees, power lines, cell towers and radio equipment were damaged.

Social media posts from residents showed what appeared to be funnel clouds in the area. The National Weather Service in Charleston issued a severe thunderstorm warning Tuesday afternoon for an area stretching from Boaz to Pennsboro.

The National Weather Service said Wednesday that survey teams were in Pleasants County and would determine whether one or more tornadoes touched down once the assessment was complete.

High winds along Greens Run Road damaged the home of former state Sen. Donna Boley, who served longer than any other state senator before retiring in January. The damage destroyed her garage and ripped the roof from the home where she has lived for more than 60 years.

Boley said she was safe, although her caregiver suffered minor injuries. She said they were in the living room when debris struck a window before the roof was torn away.

“It was bad,” Boley said. “What really made it so bad was the fact that the roof came off and the rain was real heavy and the plaster gave way. Then, of course, that garage that Jack built on to, it just flattened my car in the garage ... I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Boley and her caregiver moved from the living room to the kitchen before taking shelter in the bathroom until family members arrived Tuesday.

Down the road, the storm destroyed the transmitter tower for WRRR-FM, home of 93-R. Employees were working Wednesday to install a temporary emergency transmitter.

Pete and Delina Liller, who live nearby, said the tower could have fallen onto their home.

“About 20 minutes before it hit, I went out through the carport, sat down, and I prayed, ‘Lord, protect us from this thing, protect everyone,'” Pete Liller said. “We just saw all the warnings and everything and we just watched and as wind started picking up, I told (Delina) ‘it’s time to get under the steps.'”

At Riverview Estates near Wrights Riverside Marine, high winds flipped two mobile homes upside down, destroyed carports and damaged other trailers. Trees were snapped and power lines were damaged throughout the area.

Crews from the City of Belmont and neighbors assisted residents with cleanup efforts Wednesday.

Sue Holdren, whose family has owned Wrights Riverside Marine and the trailer park for years, said she has seen flooding from French Creek and the Ohio River, as well as other storms, but never damage like Tuesday’s.

“It’s just the worst I’ve seen,” Holdren said. “It’s very devastating for the people here in the campgrounds. To my knowledge, no one has been hurt.”

Tom Meeks, who has kept a camper at Riverside Estates for decades, said he was stunned by the damage after finding his camper flipped upside down.

“It’s kind of unbelievable to see this kind of damage,” Meeks said. “You’ve just got to deal with it. There’s not much else you do.”

Rita Stark, a retired employee of the St. Marys Correctional Center and Jail, said she was home when the storm arrived but escaped major damage.

“It was clear up until after 4 p.m. Then about 4:20 p.m. or 4:30 p.m., it all came through,” Stark said. “I didn’t realize it was a tornado. I just thought it was the wind and rain until the tree came down on top of my camper. I was fortunate, very fortunate, but these people aren’t.”

Residents compared Tuesday’s storm to the June 2012 derecho that brought widespread damage across West Virginia.

“This is the worst second worst since the derecho, but that wasn’t like this,” Stark said. “This was really something.”

“The only other thing that I can think of would be close would be that derecho that we had, but that doesn’t even compare to this,” said Jason Reed, chief deputy of the Pleasants County Sheriff’s Department.

Reed said crews continued removing debris throughout the county and that unnecessary travel was being discouraged Wednesday afternoon.

“I know there’s still some roads that are becoming more passable, but there’s still a lot of debris out there, broken power lines and all sorts of stuff,” Reed said.

Utility crews worked to restore power, with 1,257 Pleasants County customers without electricity Wednesday afternoon, according to FirstEnergy’s Outage Tracker. AT&T also was bringing in an emergency cell tower to assist with communications.

Despite the widespread damage, Reed said the community response has helped speed recovery efforts.

“Just basically, the community’s cleaning up their selves,” Reed said. “It’s basically just a community effort right now ... I figured there would be an influx of calls today, but we’ve been pretty lucky today. Everyone is chipping in.”

Flooding devastates Upshur County

BUCKHANNON -- Severe thunderstorms Tuesday evening caused widespread flooding throughout Upshur County, leaving roads underwater, forcing evacuations and disrupting power and services throughout the community.

The National Weather Service reported between 3 and 5 inches of rain had fallen in the area by 7:26 p.m. Tuesday. The Buckhannon River gauge reached 28.66 feet by noon Wednesday, well above the major flood stage of 26 feet.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties late Tuesday as storms continued to cause flash flooding, landslides, road closures and other hazards across West Virginia.

Morrisey said Wednesday that the state’s response was underway, with 85 rescues conducted by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, 310 National Guard personnel deployed and 19 National Guard and State Police helicopters available or assigned for rescue missions.

No civilians were reported missing and no fatalities had been confirmed as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Upshur County Commission also declared a local state of emergency after widespread flooding damaged infrastructure, private property, roads, bridges, utilities and other facilities.

Around 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Upshur County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management issued an evacuation order for residents along First through Fifth streets and Cleveland Avenue due to rising floodwaters.

A temporary shelter was established at the Church of the Nazarene on Zicks Run Road.

Floodwaters affected areas around the Bicentennial Inn, Jawbone Park and the City of Buckhannon Fire Department, with multiple vehicles submerged.

Power outages also continued Wednesday. Mon Power reported more than 21,000 customers statewide without electricity, including 3,206 customers in Upshur County.

The Buckhannon Water Department also reported a major water line break Wednesday but said crews repaired the issue despite difficulties caused by flooding.

Several medical facilities also adjusted operations. St. Joseph’s Hospital canceled outpatient appointments Wednesday morning, while Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston canceled outpatient services as well.

The Upshur County Courthouse, Annex and Administrative Annex also were closed Wednesday, along with several businesses in downtown Buckhannon.

Emergency assistance continued arriving from surrounding counties, including the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, which sent deputies and supplies to assist with flood response efforts.

HealthNet also reported disruptions to some ambulance and aeromedical operations due to flooding and road conditions but said all patients and crews remained safe.

The West Virginia National Guard continued expanding its response, deploying liaison officers, swift water rescue teams and additional personnel to assist affected communities.

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