WELCH, W.Va. — Two months after the floods that caused devastating damage across Southern West Virginia, officials there are still asking for help to recover.

On February 15, the Southern Coalfields were inundated with record-breaking amounts of rainfall that led to disastrous floods, further resulting in multiple deaths, numerous rescues and significant infrastructure damage.

Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a State of Emergency for 13 counties including Mingo, Mercer, Summers, Wyoming Logan, among others.

However, one of the hardest hit southern counties was McDowell, where a total of five residents tragically lost their lives, numerous homes were destroyed, and some roads still remain impassable to this day.

Michael Brooks

McDowell County Commissioner Michael Brooks said on MetroNews Talkline Tuesday that while it hasn’t been as chaotic as when the waters first hit, they continue to scramble in their recovery efforts there, and they still have many needs left unmet.

“Lots of folks still doing the muck-outs and things like that, trying to get their property back and habitable, unfortunately, we are just still in dire need of the volunteer groups it seems like, we’ve had not much luck with that,” Brooks said.

The Trump Administration soon after issued a major disaster declaration for the region and FEMA has been providing federal disaster assistance ever since, but Brooks said it’s just not enough to reconcile all of the damage done.

He said he’s certain that the lack of volunteers in McDowell County has been at least in part due to the fact that efforts have also had to go toward the other impacted counties and the other regions as well, but they could really use the help.

Members of the West Virginia National Guard conduct flood debris clearing missions in the city of Welch, located in McDowell County,(U.S. National Guard photo by Edwin L. Wriston)

Brooks said aside from FEMA providing disaster assistance for people’s personal properties, they really haven’t received any kind of federal assistance, however, he said they continue to be in contact with state officials, and at their last meeting, they created a resolution describing the infrastructure and resources they still need.

He said they are trying to send the call for more help all the way up to the White House.

“We need these folks that are involved with these federal entities as well as state entities, to, you know, give us the guidance and to ask what they require of us,” he said.

Brooks said one major issue they have been dealing with has been all of the infrastructural damages to roadways and bridges.

He said they are still dealing with a multitude of personal and private bridges that were destroyed by the flood waters, and they can’t even seem to get the initial process underway in fixing those bridges.

“I mean, we’re having trouble even getting contractors to get up to people to give them estimates to what it would take to try to erect and re-do these bridges where they can actually turn them into FEMA,” he said.

However, Brooks said the main focus the past six to seven weeks has been in trying to get as much debris cleaned out of creeks and streams as possible as it’s clogging up the waterways and leading to even more problems with flooding. He said even if it’s just a half inch of rain or so, streams fill up nearly to road-level throughout the county.

Storm damage along the Tug Fork in Welch.
(Photo by Jeff Jenkins/MetroNews)

Brooks said in meetings with officials, they keep running into various restrictions regarding endangered species and wildlife conservation policies, which is putting a damper on anyone getting into the streams to clean them out.

He said they’re tired of the meetings just talking about the issue and simply want to see some work get done.

“I respect all of that, but at the end of the day, I’m tired of hearing it,” Brooks said. “It’s time to get equipment and get these places cleaned and opened up to where when we do have an event, it wouldn’t be so disastrous in the areas of our county,” he said.

He said if they don’t get more of the funding, resources, and volunteers needed to pull out of this situation, another one is going to come along and they won’t be able to handle it.

But, Brooks said that’s not to say they haven’t received some significant help, because they have.

Burke Allen

In March, a cohort of celebrities, professional singers and entertainers, actors, among other influencers who are either from West Virginia or at least have ties to it banded together to help host the “Two Virginia’s One Mission: Helping Hands and Healing Hearts Telethon, where they managed to raise over $55,500 to support the flood relief efforts across Southern West Virginia and Southern Virginia.

Executive Producer of the telethon, Burke Allen said it was the least they could do as they know how much the region needs all of the help it can get.

“We were honored and humbled to do anything we could do to help,” Allen said. “We realized that there were hundreds of volunteers that have done way more than us and you know, it has affected thousands of people, so the fact that we had the opportunity to do anything was a real blessing.”

The event was a live three-hour statewide telecast that was aired out of WVVA-TV studios in Bluefield, WV.

Along with Allen, it was co-hosted by McDowell County native and best-selling author of “Rocket Boys”, Homer Hickam, along with America’s Got Talent winner Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. and actor Kevin Sizemore, who are also West Virginia natives.

It also featured live entertainment from musical artist Steve Earle, American Idol champion Noah Thompson, country music hitmakers Vince Gill, T. Graham Brown, Clay Walker, among many others, as well as classic Hollywood stars Donny Most, Anson Williams, Dreama Denver, and a multitude of other actors, as well.

Allen said none of them hesitated to step in to action and help.

“Everybody just jumped right in, and that’s what West Virginians do, and we do it over and over again,” he said.

All of the funds raised during the telethon were going to The Salvation Army to distribute resources to the hardest-hit areas.

Allen said he’s aware that the people of McDowell and surrounding counties are no way near out of the woods yet, and he also says more elected state and federal officials should try and do everything they can to help.

“To do whatever they can to remember those people who live in the hills and the hollers and still don’t have access to clean drinking water, and they still don’t have those little culvert bridges that have been washed out, you know, people are walking for miles to get clean drinking water, don’t forget about those folks, it’s a long road to recovery.”