WEST VIRGINIA (WSLS 10) On Sunday, officials released more information regarding the damage caused by floods and severe weather in West Virginia. According to West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jimmy Gianato, these are the latest facts and figures:
· The State Emergency Operations Center continues to track the potential severe weather threat forecast for this region, in close coordination with the local National Weather Service offices. The SEOC is hosting daily briefings for county and local emergency officials and other responders, and will schedule special weather briefings as warranted.
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· A flash flood watch is in effect from the predawn hours of Monday, July 4 through late that night. The watch applies to 21 West Virginia counties including the federal disaster declaration counties of Clay, Jackson, Nicholas, Roane and Webster. A flash flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding. More info at
· As has been reported by Greenbrier County officials, a second body was recovered there this weekend. The body will also be taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy. This raises the confirmed death toll to 22, with one considered still missing in Greenbrier County and presumed dead.
· Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited with W.Va. Air and Army National Guard personnel deployed to the affected areas this weekend. The W.Va. National Guard has posted information and photos on its Facebook page:
· A sixth Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is now open, this one in Roane County. DRCs are one-stop shops that provide one-on-one, face-to-face help for eligible storm survivors.
The DRCs are operating daily from 7 am to 7 pm:
o Greenbrier: Town Hall, 201 Kanawha Ave, Rainelle
o Greenbrier: Southeastern Labor Council, AFL-CIO, 65 West Main St., White Sulphur Springs
o Kanawha: Crede Warehouse, 3300 Pennsylvania Ave., Charleston
o Nicholas: Richwood City Hall, 6 White Ave., Richwood
o Roane: Geary Elementary School; 9538 Clay Rd., Left Hand
o Summers: Summers County Memorial Building gym, 451 1st Ave. , Hinton
Additional DRCs are planned for Clay and Webster counties.
According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the number of deaths attributed to the floods remains at 23 (twenty-three). That total includes the 22 confirmed fatalities (see above) and 1 person missing and presumed dead.
Fatality totals by county:
Greenbrier: 15 (14 bodies recovered; 1 missing and presumed dead)
Kanawha: 6
Ohio: 1
Jackson: 1
· The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) does not just assist small businesses. It offers low-interest disaster loans for:
o Businesses of all sizes
o Homeowners
o Renters
o Private non-profit organizations.
SBA disaster loans may cover repairs and rebuilding as well as the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property. More information is available at
· Flood survivors may call West Virginia 211, a free information and referral service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They can call 2-1-1 for help finding food, childcare, crisis counseling, and many other resources in their local communities.
· Everyone registering with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster assistance is reminded to provide good contact information. That will ensure that a FEMA contract inspector can arrange to view disaster damage.
Inspectors are thoroughly trained and use specialized software to verify disaster damage quickly. The inspection may only last 10 or 20 minutes. The inspector does not make decisions on eligibility.
FEMA offers these tips:
o Applicants unable to be present for the inspection can designate someone in the household over 18 years of age who was living in the household prior to the disaster. If an inspection cannot be made, FEMA may not be able to finish processing the application.
o Survivors should not wait to start their cleaning up and making repairs to their home. They should save their receipts and document damage with photos.
o Although there are other legitimate inspectors in the field, beware of people posing as FEMA inspectors or "FEMA approved" repair contractors. FEMA makes no such endorsements.
o Legitimate FEMA inspectors will have the applicant's nine-digit case number assigned at registration and always carry FEMA identification badges with a photograph. Inspections are free; inspectors are not authorized to ask for personal financial information other than to verify information provided at registration.
· FEMA has detailed information about several forms of federal assistance available:
o Individuals and Households Program (IHP)
o Public Assistance (PA)
o Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA);
o Disaster Survivor Assistance
Federal assistance information is also at:
· The Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) has developed county-specific informational fliers detailing assistance and resources in each of the 10 counties initially granted Federal Disaster Declarations:
· DHSEM has launched www.dhsem.wv.gov/Pages/WV-Flood-Information.aspx
· www.wvflood.com
The site's contact is help@wvflood.com
Fatalities
The W.Va. Department of Health and Human Resources has provided the following details as of July 1, 2016 from its Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; it is unable to release names per state law:
Statistical Data Regarding Mass Fatality Resulting from 2016 Flooding State of Emergency
# Location County Age Range* M/F Preliminary Cause of Death Unconfirmed Physical Location of Recovery
1 Wheeling Ohio 5 to 14 M Asphyxiation Water
2 Elkview Kanawha 45 to 64 M Asphyxiation Roadway
3 NA Kanawha 15 to 24 F Asphyxiation Roadway
4 Elkview Kanawha 45 to 64 F Automobile Accident Vehicle
5 Ravenswood Jackson 1 to 4 M Asphyxiation Water
6 Rainelle Greenbrier 85+ M Asphyxiation Private Structure
7 Rainelle Greenbrier 85+ M Asphyxiation Private Structure
8 Rainelle Greenbrier 75 to 84 M Asphyxiation Private Structure
9 Rainelle Greenbrier 45 to 64 M Asphyxiation Private Structure
10 Elkview Kanawha 65 to 74 M Asphyxiation Private Structure
11 Elkview Kanawha 45 to 64 F Asphyxiation Private Structure
12 Elkview Kanawha 45 to 64 F Asphyxiation Private Structure
13 Rupert Greenbrier 75 to 84 F Asphyxiation Water
14 Rupert Greenbrier 65 to 74 M Asphyxiation Water
15 White Sulphur Springs Greenbrier 15 to 24 M Asphyxiation Water
16 Caldwell Greenbrier 45 to 64 M Asphyxiation Water
17 White Sulphur Springs Greenbrier 45 to 64 F Asphyxiation Private Structure
18 White Sulphur Springs Greenbrier 65 to 74 M Asphyxiation Grounds of Commercial Property
19 Rupert Greenbrier 65 to 74 F Asphyxiation Water
20 White Sulphur Springs Greenbrier 45 to 64 F Complications from injuries received Private Structure