Obama Declares Major Disaster In West Virginia After Historic Flooding
Source: NPR
President Obama has declared a major disaster in West Virginia after flash flooding left at least 24 people dead and devastated communities.
The historic floods are the worst in a century for portions of the state, the governor has said, and destroyed or seriously damaged at least 100 homes. Water levels reached as high as rooftops in some areas. More than 30,000 people are without power, according to the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Obama's declaration makes funding available to three of the hardest-hit counties in the state Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas. It is meant to assist with "temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," according to a statement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"This federal support will provide much needed assistance to severely-impacted regions," West Virginia's governor Earl Ray Tomblin said in a statement. "As emergency response efforts continue, with members of the National Guard and local emergency responders hard at work helping our neighbors, we will continue pursuing additional assistance for all affected areas."
Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/26/483587401/obama-declares-major-disaster-in-west-virginia-after-historic-flooding
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)dgibby
(9,474 posts)I live in Alleghany Co, Va., which is adjacent to Greenbrier Co, WV. We were hard hit, but they were devastated. WV Nat. Guard is in the area, looking for survivors/bodies.
One of the women who cuts my hair lives in White Sulphur Springs, WV, but works here. She was unable to get home due to the flooding. When she did finally get home, the house was gone, as was her husband, daughter, and grandson. They had gone to the attic to escape the rising water, the house was washed off its foundation, and they were trapped. The 17 year old grandson's body was recovered on the golf course at the Greenbrier Resort, but the husband and daughter are still missing. Our hearts are broken for this family and all the other families affected by this storm.
Thank you, President Obama.
yourpaljoey
(2,166 posts)damn, what a thing
Little Star
(17,055 posts)uppityperson
(115,679 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,904 posts)they are so independent and self sufficient that they do not need gov't handouts?
Response to discntnt_irny_srcsm (Original post)
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