Wheeling, W.Va. (WVDN) – Governor Patrick Morrisey hosted local and state officials for a roundtable discussion to address the flood response in Ohio County. The Governor heard from the Mayors of Wheeling, Tridelphia, and Valley Grove, Emergency Management personnel, county officials, first responders, the National Guard, and more to learn about their needs on the ground and discuss how the state can continue to assist.
Governor Morrisey announced another individual had been recovered from the Ohio River, bringing the total number of fatalities to eight. State officials continue to work with local emergency responders to locate one missing individual.
“Our state has been hit pretty hard, but West Virginians have a spirit that will never quit,” said Governor Morrisey. “We have been knocked down, but we will continue to rise again until these communities fully recover.”
In Ohio County, 75 people remain without power. Linemen have been working around the clock with assistance from the state to restore power. Water service has been restored to most of Ohio County, with an area of Valley Grove still without water service. Power and water have been fully restored to Marion County.
FEMA representatives are on the ground working with state officials to ensure West Virginia is ready to receive any additional assistance from the federal government. Governor Morrisey urged residents to fill out disaster surveys so that officials can begin reporting damage to FEMA.
National Guard
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Governor Morrisey mobilized the National Guard to support local emergency operations.
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There are currently 130 total West Virginia National Guard personnel employed in flood recovery operations, with more on the way.
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The Joint Operations Center is fully engaged, coordinating response efforts across agencies. Community Assistance Teams, including Liaison Officers, are deployed to work directly with local emergency management and assist affected residents.
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Engineering units with loaders and dump trucks are mobilized to clear debris, reopen access routes, and support critical infrastructure in Ohio County.
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Ohio County Personnel:
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2 Community Assistance Teams
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1 Liaison Officer Team
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1 Engineer Assessment Team
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2 Loader Dump Team Crews
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Ohio County Equipment:
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15 dump trucks with operators
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8 skid steers with grapple bucket
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4 mini excavators
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2 trailers
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Marion County Personnel:
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2 Community Assistance Teams
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1 Liaison Officer Team
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1 Engineer Assessment Team– transitioning from Ohio County
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Division of Natural Resources
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Officers assisted in over 40 successful swiftwater rescues. The DNR deployed two ground/foot teams, one swift water rescue team, and one swift water support unit.
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Successfully removed 14 vehicles from the river. An overall number of 20 vehicles removed by DNR and Fire personnel. Every vehicle recovered was cleared to ensure no occupants were inside and cross-referenced with missing persons list.
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Drone operators worked on marking submerged and hard-to-locate vehicles for target operations by the Swiftwater team today.
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Ground Operations cleared multiple locations of debris, iInvestigated and re-examined previously inaccessible areas of interest.
Division of Highways
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The Department of Transportation is conducting the following operations:
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Clearing debris to assist with the first responders and traveling public
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Restoring roadways and inspecting bridges.
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Working with local landfill to remove and transfer debris off roads to landfill
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Ensuring first responders have access where needed
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Ohio County Equipment on scene:
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Total WVDOH Workers: 107+
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43 Tandem axle dumps
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12 Single Axle Dumps
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6 Endloaders
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12 Excavators
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4 Gradalls
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6 Skid steers
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2 Water trucks
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1 Sweeper truck
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1 Paver
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4 Rollers
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3 Berm Box
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1 Tack truck
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Roads closed for cleanup:
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US 40
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CO 25 Peters Run
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CO 15 Wardens Run
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CO 31 Battle Run
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CO 1 Short Creek
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CO 7 GC&P 7
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CO 39 Middle Creek
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CO 29 Dixons Run
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CO 35 McGraws Run
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CO 27 Point Run
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CO 45 Atkinson Crossing
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CO 8/1 Stewarts Road
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Bridges Closed:
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Shilling Bridge in Elm Grove
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CO 29 Dixon Run Road Bridge
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CO 31 Battle Run Road Bridge
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Marion County equipment on scene:
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District 4 Disforce has 5 employees in Marion County with 1 Gradall, 1 Excavator, 1 rock truck, and 1 trailer
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Harrison County sent 3 employees with 2 single axle dump trucks and 1 tandem dump truck
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Taylor County sent 3 employees with 1 Gradall and 2 tandem dump trucks and brought more traffic control devices
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Cenforces (statewide heavy maintenance crews) with an excavator
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Lewisburg is sending a dozer
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Marion County Road Closures
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CR 15/7 Hill Crest Road,
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Department of Environmental Protection
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The Department of Environmental Protection is conducting inspections on facilities in both Marion and Ohio Counties and has received no word of any issues.
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DEP authorized landfills to stay open for extended hours and stands ready to authorize any additional debris staging areas.
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DEP has also waived tonnage limitation and disposal fees
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Initial preparations are underway to authorize temporary debris staging areas in coordination with Ohio County Emergency Services.
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Republic Services’ Short Creek Landfill is open and accepting debris; frac waste site reported no hazardous releases, with all tanks intact.
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Total EE Staff Deployed: 13
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Total Sites Inspected: 47
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9 Dams
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10 Underground Storage Tank (UST)/Aboveground Storage Tank (AST) Facilities
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14 Industrial/Municipal Facilities:
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14 Other (roadways, debris, residential): 14
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Ohio County
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5 dam inspections – No structural concerns
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5 UST/AST inspections – All tanks secure; no releases.
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No hazardous releases identified.
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Debris management: No staging areas requested at this time.
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Marion/Monongalia County
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4 dam inspections – No structural concerns.
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No hazardous releases identified.
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5 UST sites – One with water intrusion (now pumped and stable).
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2 EE inspectors responded to 5 construction Stormwater spill reports in Monongalia County. No issues were observed
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14 facility inspections – Minor impacts noted:
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Mon County: SI Group Industrial pond overtopped on 6/15; now stable, being monitored.
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Mon County: Granville lift station flooded; WasteWater Treatment Plant operational.
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Debris management: No staging areas requested at this time.
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Division of Mining and Reclamation (DMR)
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DMR has had 11 inspectors assess 17 permitted sites across the flood-affected areas of northern W.Va. The inspectors reported no significant issues at any of the inspected mining facilities.
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Department of Health
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420 doses of Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis (TDAP) have been sent to the Wheeling-Ohio Valley Health Department.
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Wheeling-Ohio Valley Health Department offering free TDAP vaccinations.
