Rescuers Hampered Because West Virginia Area ‘Is So Rural’ : Flood Relief Called ‘Logistic Nightmare’

Rescue workers faced a “logistical nightmare” Friday in trying to get aid to remote parts of flooded West Virginia, while drenched communities in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania began to mop up and assess their damage.

“Some people are still cut off because the bridges are out,” said John Gallagher of the West Virginia Highway Department. “We have to get the roads open first so we can get trucks in and put in temporary bridges.”

The flooding, brought by four days of heavy rains, killed 20 people in West Virginia, 21 in Virginia, one in Maryland and one in Pennsylvania.

Commuter Roads Reopen

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., major commuter roads were reopened Friday, as were the Washington Monument and the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials.

Red Cross volunteers streamed into West Virginia on Friday from as far away as Louisiana to distribute food and clothing. National Guard units delivered drinking water to scores of communities whose supplies were contaminated by dead livestock and sewage from swamped treatment plants.

But more than 100 roads remained closed, and Red Cross vouchers entitling victims to purchase essential supplies proved of little use in areas where there were no stores for miles.

“That’s an obstacle that we really haven’t had too much experience in dealing with,” Red Cross spokesman Jim Daw said. “It’s a logistical nightmare. It’s so widespread, and the area involved is so rural.”

Shelters Almost Empty

Despite the thousands reported homeless, many emergency shelters were almost empty Friday as flood victims moved in with friends, relatives and even strangers.

“We have one family in Albright that took 50 people in,” said John Wills, a Preston County emergency official.

Eight West Virginia counties have been designated as federal disaster areas, and Gov. Arch A. Moore Jr. said the White House was considering requests for aid in 14 other counties. State officials estimated damage at more than $200 million.

In Richmond, Va., the muddy James River was not expected to be back within its banks until Sunday. Raw sewage was flowing into the river.

Broad Street, Richmond’s main downtown strip, was reopened Friday, as were two of the three bridges over the river, including the Interstate 95 crossing. The city’s public schools also reopened.

Up a Tree for 20 Hours

Two teen-age canoeists last seen paddling in the river Thursday were rescued by a National Guard helicopter Friday from the tree-limb perches where they had clung for more than 20 hours, police said.

Five petroleum tanks that had been listing on their foundations on the south bank of the James were righted Friday; but a sixth tank, filled with 500,000 gallons of leaded gasoline, had developed a slow leak, officials said.

Gov. Charles S. Robb on Friday asked President Reagan to declare as disaster areas 11 localities in western Virginia that he said had suffered nearly $551 million in property damage.

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Dick Thornburgh on Friday asked Reagan to declare six counties a federal disaster area. The state’s property damage, still being calculated, was projected in the tens of millions of dollars.

‘No Use in Crying’

In Point Marion, Pa., at the junction of the Monongahela and Cheat rivers, many of the town’s 1,650 residents scraped mud Friday from their sidewalks, porches, living rooms and basements.

“No use in crying,” said Louis Hall, 78, looking over the damp tangle of possessions inside his house. “They took me off my roof in a motorboat. At least, I’m alive.”

Port Marion Mayor Louis Rudolph was more pessimistic.

“If we don’t get federal aid, we might as well order another flood and wash the whole town away,” he said.