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Roads, Bridges & Culverts Damaged in Morgan County After Weekend Flooding
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Updated on Monday, June 4, 2018 at 1:45 p.m.
Governor Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for a handful of counties in the Eastern Panhandle this weekend due to flooding from heavy rainfall.
Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton counties are under the state of emergency.
Severe storms hit parts of the region on Saturday and brought with it flash flooding and high waters in some areas.
Morgan and Hampshire Counties were hit the hardest, seeing 6 to 8 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 30 roads were closed in Morgan County and several sections of road have been damaged or washed out.
Stefanie Allemong is the Acting Director of the Morgan County Emergency Management Agency. She says there were 14 swiftwater rescues on Sunday – either out of vehicles or from homes, but no injuries were reported.
She says most of the water began to recede on Monday, and most roads in the county have reopened.
“So basically, we’re looking at mostly road damage and debris cleanup and some bridges and culvert damage,” she said.
The extent of damages or estimated cleanup costs is still being determined by emergency officials.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has declared a state of emergency in eight counties for flooding from heavy rains.
The governor’s office says in a news release that some emergency evacuations were underway Sunday following severe storms.
The declaration is for Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan and Pendleton counties. It allows the use of state assets and directs the West Virginia State Police and the Army National Guard to help hard-hit areas.
The National Weather Service says moderate flooding is forecast along the South Branch of the Potomac River, which is expected to crest nearly 5 feet above flood stage by Sunday night.
It says minor flooding is occurring near the Cacapon River, which is expected to crest about 5 feet above flood stage. Minor flooding also is forecast along the Potomac River at Paw Paw.
Several new state laws are meant to help the state’s understaffed Emergency Medical Services. But maintaining statewide EMS operations remains a challenge.
Some West Virginia voters who applied for absentee mail-in ballots will see them in their mailboxes this weekend. These are sent out directly from county clerks.