Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency in all 55 West Virginia counties on Aug. 18 after slow-moving storms from Aug. 16 to 18 drove flash flooding, mudslides, and water rescues across the state. [1] The order "remains in effect for 30 days unless action is taken beforehand." [1]
One woman died in Fayette County floodwaters during the storms. [1] She is the fixed point the rest of the numbers orbit, and the source does not name her.
The heaviest load fell on Kanawha County. Its Metro 911 center took 2,100 calls on Sunday, dispatched 850 of them, and coordinated 60 water rescues. [2] Sunday's rain measured 4.23 inches at Yeager Airport in Charleston, "the highest one day rain total recorded at Yeager Airport in Charleston since July 19, 1961," when 5.6 inches fell. [2]
Ten schools in the Riverside High School attendance area, from Belle and Cedar Grove elementaries to Dupont Middle and Riverside High itself, will stay closed for the first days of the school year while families deal with damage. [2]
The declaration is the mechanism, not the recovery. Morrisey said it "gives our emergency responders, state agencies, and local officials the flexibility they need to move quickly." [1] For the more than 8,000 Kanawha County households still without power Monday, and the families tied to the 10 shuttered schools, the 30-day clock marks when help can flow, not when the water is gone. [1][2]
