Rain May Bring New Misery to W. Virginia

While residents shoveled mud and threw away furniture ruined by last week’s deadly floods, thunderstorms moved into southern West Virginia on Tuesday and created the potential for more misery.

Up to 3 inches of rain were reported in Roane, Calhoun and Gilmer counties, causing minor flooding. More storms were expected through Thursday.

“We’ve been hit four times this year already,” said Melissa Bise, a staffer at Roane County’s 911 center.

Streams were still running high and fast in McDowell County on Tuesday, five days after 5 inches of rain inundated the region. At least six people were killed and four were missing in the county. Two were killed in Virginia and one man was missing and presumed drowned in Kentucky.

McDowell County officials were rushing to establish emergency housing. Surveys showed 197 homes were destroyed and more than 2,000 structures were damaged.

In Welch, residents continued to shovel mud and throw out flood-damaged possessions Tuesday. A sign at one house read, “Don’t just sightsee, shovel!”

National Guard machinery tore into piles of sodden furniture and other belongings now heading to emergency landfills. Despite the 5-foot pile of ruined books outside the Welch Public Library, head librarian Donna Morgan remained upbeat.

“We’ve lost at least half our books, our public computers and the children’s department is in ruins, but this library will not close. We will be reopening,” she said.

Officials will meet next week to determine whether area schools can reopen this spring. If not, state lawmakers might be asked to allow schools to open in August to make up for the lost weeks. One elementary school in McDowell County was destroyed and 11 others were damaged.

In Indiana, up to 4 inches of rain forced people from their homes and stranded a school bus carrying elementary students on a flooded road. No injuries were reported.

Officers used a boat to retrieve the 14 Waverly Elementary School students and their driver, who stopped the bus as a precaution in high water about 15 miles southwest of Indianapolis.

In western Indiana, flooding along Feather Creek prompted the evacuation of up to a dozen residential blocks of the Vermillion County town of Clinton, which has a population of 5,000.