More than 24 hours of turmoil ended Friday night in Elkview, W.Va, as hundreds of people trapped by flood waters in a shopping plaza drove down a gravel road that had been constructed in a day to rescue them.
“This is a nightmare,” Brittany Smith said Friday, after spending Thursday night in her car.
At least 23 people died in flooding across West Virginia.
The tiny town of Rainelle in Greenbrier County in the southeastern part of the state took the brunt of the devastation. The state Division of Homeland Security reported 15 people killed in Greenbrier County.
Three were killed in Kanawha County. Two young boys also died, one in Ohio County and another in Jackson County.
Hundreds more were left homeless and thousands without power.
Early reports indicate about 9 inches of rain damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes and knocked out power to tens of thousands of others, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said.
The governor's office said 14 deaths were confirmed by the state medical examiner. Local sheriffs and rescue workers across the state confirmed the others not yet included in the state's official tally.
One of the dead included a 4-year-old boy who was found about a quarter mile from where he fell into a creek, which usually runs about ankle deep but rose to about 6 feet deep when Jackson County was pounded with 9 inches of rain in 16 hours.
Bob Bibbee with the Ravenswood Fire Department said the boy was outside with his grandfather, who jumped in after him. Neighbors, alerted by the sound of the family's screams, tried to help save the boy but were also unable to reach him.
In Elkview, about 30 minutes north of Charleston, the state capital, the raging Elk River destroyed the only road in and out of The Crossings shopping plaza, stranding Smith, 25, of Charleston and hundreds of others.
The West Virginia Division of Highways built a gravel road Friday, and people finally drove to freedom around 9:30 p.m.
Smith said people slept in their cars after all the rooms at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in the plaza were booked. They socialized. A Bob Evans restaurant gave out food.
“No one could sleep,” said Smith, 25, of Charleston. “People were scared.”
Smith was able to leave the plaza Friday by walking down a steep hillside and crossing a bridge that hours before had been under water.
She went to check on her family in nearby Frame. Their house was flooded. They don't have electricity or water, but everyone is safe, she said.
“They live up in a holler, and there ain't no road anymore,” Smith said. “The blacktop is all in the creek.”
Police blocked off the roads leading to nearby Clendenin, where the Elk River left most of the town under water. A helicopter idled just off of I-79 waiting to help with rescue missions.
Two hundred National Guardsmen were assisting in eight counties, helping local crews with swift water rescues, search and extraction efforts and health and welfare checks. The governor declared a state of emergency in 44 of 54 counties and authorized up to 500 soldiers to assist.
The governor said he had planned to fly around the hard-hit areas, but wasn't able to because all state aircraft were being used for rescues.
A historic resort located in one of the hardest-hit areas of flooding has closed to guests until further notice.
The 710-room Greenbrier resort sustained damage from the flooding and was using backup generators Friday, according to a post on its Facebook page.
The resort is in White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, which is owned by billionaire Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jim Justice. The resort posted photos of its golf course covered in floodwaters.
The course, overrun by floodwaters, is scheduled to host a PGA tour event from July 4-10.
“It's like nothing I've seen,” Justice said in a statement. “But our focus right now isn't on the property, golf course or anything else. We're praying for the people and doing everything we can to get them the help they need.”
Professional golfer Bubba Watson was apparently visiting the resort and tweeted photos of entire holes underwater: “Prayers for (at)The—Greenbrier & surrounding areas. We are without power & it's still raining. Never seen this much rain! #WestVirginiaBeSafe.”
Aaron Aupperlee is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7986 or [email protected]. The Associated Press contributed.
———
©2016 The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.)
Visit The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.) at www.triblive.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
