Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency across all 55 counties [1] after heavy rain triggered catastrophic flash floods in West Virginia on Wednesday.
The disaster underscores the vulnerability of the state's mountainous terrain to sudden, extreme weather events that can isolate communities and overwhelm emergency response systems.
Torrential downpours dumped more than seven inches of rain [3], creating life-threatening conditions. The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency as waters inundated Buckhannon and surrounding areas in north-central West Virginia [2, 3]. The flooding forced immediate evacuations and left at least two people missing [2].
Governor Morrisey and emergency officials coordinated response efforts as the National Guard was deployed to assist with rescue operations [2]. The scale of the disaster prompted the statewide emergency declaration to streamline resources and aid across the region [1].
"I am concerned about possible deaths," Morrisey said [2].
The flooding followed a period of instability that began on Tuesday, July 21, with related flood reports emerging before the peak of the storm on Wednesday [2]. Local authorities worked to clear debris and reach stranded residents in the hardest-hit areas of Buckhannon [1, 3].
"The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Emergency for life-threatening floods," the agency said [3].
“"I am concerned about possible deaths."”
The declaration of a state of emergency across all 55 counties indicates that the scale of the flooding exceeded local capacity, requiring a centralized state and federal response. By triggering these protocols, West Virginia can more rapidly mobilize the National Guard and access emergency funding to manage both immediate search-and-rescue operations and long-term infrastructure repair in the affected north-central regions.
