Flash floods in West Virginia kill 5 amid torrential downpour
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Officials closed this stretch of road in Wheeling, West Virginia, on Saturday night "because of the high water, mud and debris," the Wheeling, W.Va., Fire Department said on Facebook. Photo: Wheeling, W.Va., Fire Department/Facebook
Flash floods in West Virginia killed at least five people and four others were missing during torrential rains that washed out roads and damaged bridges, natural gas lines and other infrastructure, officials said Sunday.
The big picture: State Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared states of emergency in Ohio County, W.Va., on Saturday and in Marion County on Sunday as multiple state agencies responded to calls for help.
Threat level: The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for Ohio and Marion counties on Sunday as the NWS' Charleston, W.Va., office warned a slow moving system that's produced the heavy rain showers and storms would continue through early this week.
- As the deluge continued into Sunday evening, Morrisey said on X emergency officials were "on the scene in Marion County at a partial apartment collapse" as he urged people to "stay off the roads."
Situation report: Some 2.5 to 4 inches of rain fell in Wheeling and other portions of Ohio County within about a half hour on Saturday night, Morrisey said at a Sunday briefing that confirmed the fatalities, which included a 3-year-old child.
- The governor originally said the floods had killed four people and that four others were missing. His office later announced there had been a fifth fatality and that three people remained unaccounted for.
- Ohio County emergency management director Lou Vargo said at the briefing that "almost immediately" after the 30-minute downpour, officials received calls to rescue people who'd become trapped.
- "During this time we had major infrastructure damage to roads, bridges and highways where we couldn't respond to a lot of incidents," Vargo said.
- "So we were delayed in getting there because there was just so much damage," he added. "It happened so quickly and so fast … I've been doing this for 35 years. I've seen major floods here in the city and the county. I've never seen anything like this."
Meanwhile, Marion County 911 processed 165 calls for help that included "water rescue, flooded roadways, residential flooding, rockslides, trees down, lines down" since the storms began at 1pm, the Marion County Homeland Security and Emergency Management said on Facebook Sunday evening.
Zoom in: "The Marion County and Fairmont areas experienced serious flash flooding which has cause extensive damage to roads, bridges, and some homes," the agency said.
- "Emergency crews, along with the WV Division of Highways and First Energy, are actively assessing the damage and working on necessary repairs. If you're in an affected area, please avoid flooded roads and areas with downed trees or power lines for your safety."
- Pleasant Valley in Marion County has been inundated with floodwater, per a Valley Volunteer Fire Department Facebook post on Sunday afternoon.
Between the lines: Research shows climate change is causing extreme precipitation events to be more intense and frequent.
- This is due to a warmer atmosphere that can hold more water vapor, which provides added moisture and energy to storm systems.
Go deeper: Flooding set to cost U.S. hundreds of billions as risks mount
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
