CHARLESTON, W.Va. (The Hinton News) – Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a State of Emergency for all 55 West Virginia counties following a new round of severe storms that brought excessive rainfall, flash flooding, mudslides, damaging winds, and widespread water rescues to communities across the state.
“West Virginians have been hit by another round of severe weather at a time when many communities are still recovering from last month’s storms,” said Governor Morrisey. “This declaration gives our emergency responders, state agencies, and local officials the flexibility they need to move quickly, get resources where they are needed, and help communities recover from the damage.”
Slow-moving storm systems moved across West Virginia from August 16 through August 18, dumping excessive rainfall on numerous communities. Several localized areas received near-record rainfall in a matter of hours, triggering rapid flash flooding and mudslides and resulting in significant damage to homes, businesses, public infrastructure, and essential services.
The new declaration covers all 55 counties and will remain in effect for 30 days unless terminated earlier. It allows state and local agencies to coordinate and deploy personnel, equipment, and other resources necessary to support emergency response and relief operations.
The declaration is separate from the State of Emergency issued following the severe storms and flooding that began July 21. Governor Morrisey declared a statewide State of Emergency for that event on July 21 and last week extended it through September 19 in Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pendleton, Pleasants, Randolph, Ritchie, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, and Wetzel counties, where recovery efforts from those storms remain ongoing.
The new State of Emergency allows the West Virginia Emergency Management Division and other state agencies to continue working with local and federal partners to assess damage, respond to immediate needs, and provide assistance to affected communities following the latest storms.
“We have crews and emergency responders working across the state, and we are going to make sure they have what they need to do their jobs,” said Governor Morrisey. “We will continue working with our local partners to assess the damage and help West Virginians recover.”
