Liz McCormick Published

Federal Funds Awarded to Help Flood Damaged Roads

Downtown Richwood, WV, at dawn after hours of heavy rain flooded the little town.
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Almost $5 million in federal funding has been awarded to some of the counties ravaged by floods in 2016.

Pocahontas, Randolph and Greenbrier Counties will receive more than $4.8 million to help repair federal roads from the United States Department of Transportation.

Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito made the announcement in a joint news release.

Manchin says the repairs will help bring back community connections and allow commerce to flow freely across the state. Capito notes the funds will also help restore roads used to get to work and home.

In June 2016, heavy rain fell over West Virginia, overwhelming many communities in the southern part of the state. It has been called the worst flood in West Virginia’s history. Former Governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced a state of emergency for 44 of the state’s 55 counties, and 23 people died.