Eighth flood death confirmed in Ohio County; governor calls for volunteer assistance in recovery

One more person has been confirmed to have died in flash flooding in Ohio County, West Virginia over the weekend, bringing the death toll to eight. One other person is still unaccounted for, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday.  

The male victim’s name is being withheld until his family has been told, Morrisey said. Officials did not say where the body was located.

“This is a very challenging time for the residents of Ohio County,” the governor said during a briefing from Wheeling. 

Recovery efforts are underway in Ohio and Marion counties in northern West Virginia, where several inches of rain fell in a short time period Saturday and Sunday, causing flooding. 

The body of a 71-year-old woman was found at the Wetzel County dam earlier this week. A 3-year-old child and her mother were also among those who died in the flooding.

In Marion County, where a 28-unit apartment building in Fairmont collapsed during the flooding Sunday, there are no reports of death, Morrisey said Wednesday. 

Morrisey said he had spoken with White House officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency about the flooding and the need for federal assistance. He encouraged affected residents to fill out a survey that will help the state tally how much damage the storms have caused. The surveys are very important to the state’s request for FEMA help, he said. 

“We’re going to proceed diligently the same way the state always has,” he said. “We’re going to go through the process. We’re working locally with people to make sure that those survey instruments are filled out and that they’re returned. That’s the key to success in situations like this. 

“We have to have people that are affected on the ground return that survey instrument in order to ensure that we are counting the numbers properly,” he said. 

Morrisey called for volunteers to help with cleanup efforts.

“I ask people in West Virginia and across the country if people want to come in and help, we need to get those homes cleared and mucked up,” Morrisey said. 

In Marion County, people can call the Tygart Valley United Way at 304-366-4550 if they’d like to volunteer. People who’d like to volunteer in Ohio County can call the Wheeling-Ohio Emergency Emergency Management Agency at 304-234-7109.