More WV residents approved for federal help after summer storms, flooding

The federal government this week approved additional assistance for some West Virginia residents affected by severe storms and flooding this summer. It reaffirmed its denial for others. 

The Trump administration approved public assistance for Barbour, Doddridge, Lewis, Pendleton, Pleasants, Randolph, Ritchie, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur and Wetzel counties for the severe storms, flooding and landslides that began July 21, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced in a news release. 

“I want to thank President Trump and his administration for approving this assistance and continuing to stand with West Virginia as our communities recover,” Morrisey said in a news release Wednesday. “Our local emergency managers, first responders and volunteers worked alongside the state and FEMA to document the damage and make the case for this assistance. We will keep working to get resources where they are needed and help these communities rebuild.”

Storms on July 21 and 22 brought 9 tornadoes and up to about 7 inches of rain in some areas of the state, leading to flash flooding. Central West Virginia was among the hardest hit. Flooding killed two people in Upshur County.

Public Assistance provides federal funding for emergency work, debris removal and repairing or replacing damaged public infrastructure, including roads and utilities. 

The federal government previously approved individual assistance for  Lewis, Pleasants, Ritchie and Upshur counties following the storms.

Trump also approved Individual Assistance for Fayette, Harrison and Kanawha counties following the severe storms and flooding from Aug. 14 through 18. Individual Assistance can help eligible residents with temporary housing, home repairs and other uninsured or underinsured disaster-related losses, Morrisey’s office said. 

More than 600 homes were damaged in the August flood, Morrisey’s office said. One woman was killed in the Pax area of Fayette County when her vehicle was swept away.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also notified the state of West Virginia that it has reaffirmed its initial denial of Individual Assistance for Boone and Logan counties following flooding in June. The state had appealed FEMA’s initial determination seeking federal assistance for residents affected by those storms.

“We are disappointed by the decision on Boone and Logan counties, but we are not going to stop working for those communities,” Morrisey said in a news release. “Families there suffered real losses, and we will continue working with state and local partners to identify resources that can help them recover.”

Fayette, Harrison and Kanawha county residents who suffered damage from the August storms can apply for help online at DisasterAssistance.gov, through the FEMA mobile app, or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.