Devastating flooding in Upshur & Lewis counties

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

Following a warning from the National Weather Service for an “enhanced” risk of severe weather on Tuesday, West Virginia faced a barrage of tornadoes, cloudbursts, and devastating storms which led to historic flooding.

Upshur and Lewis counties in the northeastern region of the state were hard-hit. Evan Bacorn lives in downtown Buckhannon, near the Wendy’s and Autozone. His car was submerged by flood waters in the street in front of his home.

“The water is still coming up,” Bacorn told RealWV late Tuesday evening. “We have several fire departments from surroudning counties here assisting with houses floating, people stranded, and there is more rain coming.”

At 6:55pm, the city of Buckhannon issued a “shelter in place” order to residents. “Main areas are flooded!…DO NOT attempt to drive anywhere in the city for the time being!”

Lewis County Commissioner Agnes Queen said, “The devastation across our county is extensive. Businesses, homes, vehicles, and countless personal belongings have been damaged or destroyed, and the full extent of the losses is unknown.”

Stream gauges showed major rises in water levels yesterday. For example, the gauge on Sand Run near Buckhannon rose 8 feet in ai ginle day while the West Fork River at Weston rose 11 feet.

In addition to flooding, reports of tornadoes were logged in places as far away from each other as Pleasants and Pendleton counties.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties around 11pm on Tuesday. He also reported that 100 National Guard members were on the ground in Upshur and Lewis with another 200 set to arrive Wednesday morning.

Stay tuned to RealWV for updates, including ways you can help. A good place to start with flood recovery is with local chapters of the Red Cross, United Way, WV VOAD, and church disaster recovery groups.