Latest news with #Wheeling
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Warning over biblical flooding set to thrash US as 3-year-old becomes latest victim to drown
At least six people are dead, including a three-year-old child, after a biblical flash flood swept through West Virginia. The storm struck Ohio County Saturday night, dropping a shocking four inches of rain in just 30 minutes, trapping residents in cars and homes immediately as the storm began. The flooding continued into Sunday in Ohio County, with Wheeling Creek rising seven feet in under two hours. Residents captured the devastation of the flooding as it turned entire roadways into fast-moving rivers and caused local apartment buildings to collapse. At least two people are still missing, according to officials with Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said: 'Our top priority right now is search and rescue. There are still people unaccounted for. Stay off the roads so crews can work quickly and safely.' AccuWeather meteorologist Chad Merrill told on Monday that the area could see even more flooding throughout the week. The same system that caused Ohio County's floods to rage out of control has stalled over the region and is not expected to break up until Thursday. Merrill added that the lightning-quick flood was 'a unique event' that resulted from a perfect storm of weather and unfortunate weather conditions. As for how West Virginians were caught so off guard by the flash floods, Merrill revealed that 'the event was forecasted, but the magnitude was not captured very well.' 'We did have an abnormally dynamic final warming event in the stratosphere in March that led to the collapse of the polar vortex for the season, and the ripple effect has been felt across the US in these abnormal weather trends,' Merrill explained. AccuWeather's senior meteorologist noted that all of that will begin to change next week as 'dry weather and dangerous heat return to the East.' Facebook has even sent an urgent notification to residents in West Virginia and neighboring Ohio, asking people in the flood zone to mark themselves as 'safe' online if they are not in danger. Merrill added that the persistently cooler temperatures many states have been experiencing into June will likely end after this new system moves in. Over the weekend, vehicles were swept into swollen creeks while some people sought safety in trees. A mobile home was even seen catching fire. Nearby Fairmont experienced severe flooding on Sunday afternoon, which destroyed an apartment building and forced the evacuation of the residents. Around 2,500 power outages were reported in northern West Virginia on Sunday. As for the deadly flash flood that drenched Wheeling in just 30 minutes, the weather expert detailed how all of the right circumstances had to come together to produce this downpour. First, the amount of water in the atmosphere over West Virginia was 170 percent above normal, meaning it was holding nearly double the average for mid-June. Although forecasters said there was only about 1.8 inches of rain in the atmosphere, two major factors threw this total off entirely. One was a low-pressure system pushing through West Virginia. This added to the rising motion of the air and the air lifting over the hills in northern West Virginia. Those conditions allowed the atmosphere to squeeze out even more water than meteorologists predicted before the storm began. Morrisey has declared a state of emergency in Ohio and Marion counties as emergency crews had to conduct 19 swift water rescues during the flash floods. Merrill warned that, even as the summer heat approaches, West Virginia isn't out of the woods yet. That low-pressure system that exacerbated the flooding over the weekend remains stalled over the state. 'It will be the focal point for additional flooding problems until the pattern finally breaks following the passage of a cold front on Thursday,' Merrill forecasted. To protect themselves during flash floods, Merrill urged Americans to move to higher ground when the rain begins. If you're driving and arrive at a flooded roadway, don't drive through it. The meteorologist warned that the water is usually deeper than it appears, which could leave you trapped if the car stalls or is swept away by rising flood waters. The best thing to do in this situation is to turn around and attempt to find an alternate route.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Mother Nature at it's worst:' Death toll from flash floods climbs to 6 in West Virginia
WHEELING, (AP) — The death toll from weekend flooding in West Virginia rose to six as residents tried to clean up with the threat of more rain on the way. At least two people remained missing in the state's northern panhandle after torrential downpours tore through the region Saturday night, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday. As much as 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County within 40 minutes. Among the six dead was a 3-year-old child, the governor said. About an hour to the southeast, heavy rains battered the Marion County community of Fairmont on Sunday, ripping off the outer wall of an apartment building and damaging bridges and roads. No injuries were reported. Morrisey has declared a state of emergency in both counties. He said at least 60 homes, 25 businesses and an estimated 30 roads were impacted by the floods. "It's just Mother Nature at its worst," Morrisey said. In the northern panhandle, vehicles were swept into swollen creeks, some people sought safety in trees and a mobile home caught fire. Morrisey toured the small community of Triadelphia on Sunday. 'That was just pure devastation,' he said. 'That was brutal.' Rich Templin, his wife, Michelle, and a family friend, Chuck Ullom, were cleaning out two storage garages Monday across the street from their Triadelphia home. The garages on lower ground along Little Wheeling Creek were nearly destroyed by flash floods. Templin's home is on elevated ground and was not damaged. Templin was at work when his wife called him. When he did not answer, she texted him to say their street was flooded, a trailer they owned had washed away and that 'cars were floating by with people in them.' Templin said he received the text messages within 15 minutes after it started to rain. 'I've talked to numerous people, they said it was like a tsunami. They saw water coming down the road like two or three feet high,' he said. Templin used the garages to store tools used in a trucking service company formerly operated by his father. 'We're trying to see what's salvageable and what's not and just start the rebuilding process,' he said. Most of West Virginia was under a flood watch through Monday night. The region around Wheeling, about an hour southwest of Pittsburgh, has seen its share of flooding. Saturday's floods occurred 35 years to the day after more than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain in less than three hours killed 26 people and destroyed 80 homes in nearby Shadyside, Ohio. Last year, severe storms washed out about 200 tombstones at a Wheeling cemetery. There were deadly floods in the region in 2017 and 2022. And in 2004, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan sent floodwaters to the tops of lamp posts and trees in Wheeling's park and amphitheater along the Ohio River. ___ Associated Press writer John Raby in Charleston contributed.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Climate
- Washington Post
'Mother Nature at it's worst:' Death toll from flash floods climbs to 6 in West Virginia
WHEELING, — The death toll from weekend flooding in West Virginia rose to six as residents tried to clean up with the threat of more rain on the way. At least two people remained missing in the state's northern panhandle after torrential downpours tore through the region Saturday night, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday. As much as 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County within 40 minutes. Among the six dead was a 3-year-old child, the governor said.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
'Mother Nature at it's worst:' Death toll from flash floods climbs to 6 in West Virginia
WHEELING, (AP) — The death toll from weekend flooding in West Virginia rose to six as residents tried to clean up with the threat of more rain on the way. At least two people remained missing in the state's northern panhandle after torrential downpours tore through the region Saturday night, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday. As much as 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County within 40 minutes. Among the six dead was a 3-year-old child, the governor said. About an hour to the southeast, heavy rains battered the Marion County community of Fairmont on Sunday, ripping off the outer wall of an apartment building and damaging bridges and roads. No injuries were reported. Morrisey has declared a state of emergency in both counties. He said at least 60 homes, 25 businesses and an estimated 30 roads were impacted by the floods. 'It's just Mother Nature at its worst,' Morrisey said. In the northern panhandle, vehicles were swept into swollen creeks, some people sought safety in trees and a mobile home caught fire. Morrisey toured the small community of Triadelphia on Sunday. 'That was just pure devastation,' he said. 'That was brutal.' Rich Templin, his wife, Michelle, and a family friend, Chuck Ullom, were cleaning out two storage garages Monday across the street from their Triadelphia home. The garages on lower ground along Little Wheeling Creek were nearly destroyed by flash floods. Templin's home is on elevated ground and was not damaged. Templin was at work when his wife called him. When he did not answer, she texted him to say their street was flooded, a trailer they owned had washed away and that 'cars were floating by with people in them.' Templin said he received the text messages within 15 minutes after it started to rain. 'I've talked to numerous people, they said it was like a tsunami. They saw water coming down the road like two or three feet high,' he said. Templin used the garages to store tools used in a trucking service company formerly operated by his father. 'We're trying to see what's salvageable and what's not and just start the rebuilding process,' he said. Most of West Virginia was under a flood watch through Monday night. The region around Wheeling, about an hour southwest of Pittsburgh, has seen its share of flooding. Saturday's floods occurred 35 years to the day after more than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain in less than three hours killed 26 people and destroyed 80 homes in nearby Shadyside, Ohio. Last year, severe storms washed out about 200 tombstones at a Wheeling cemetery. There were deadly floods in the region in 2017 and 2022. And in 2004, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan sent floodwaters to the tops of lamp posts and trees in Wheeling's park and amphitheater along the Ohio River. ___ Associated Press writer John Raby in Charleston contributed.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Devastating flash floods claim five lives in West Virginia
Devastating flash flooding in West Virginia has left at least five dead as rescue teams continue to search for survivors amid ruinous destruction. Around 2.5 to 4 inches of rain fell in half an hour on Saturday night in Wheeling, leading to flash floods that killed at least five people while emergency crews continue to search for three people reported missing. Of the victims, who have yet to be identified, officials said one was a three-year-old, The New York Times reported. 'We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped,' Lou Vargo, Ohio County's emergency management director, said at a news conference Sunday. 'During this time, we had major infrastructure damage to roads, bridges, and highways where we couldn't respond to a lot of incidents. So we were delayed in getting there because there was just so much damage.' Vargo added: 'It happened so quickly and so fast... I've been doing this for 35 years. I've seen major floods here in the city and the county. I've never seen anything like this.' Vehicles were swept into swollen creeks, authorities said, while some people sought safety in trees and a mobile home caught fire. Fairmont saw severe flooding on Sunday afternoon, including the destruction of an apartment building that partially collapsed causing the evacuation of residents, CBS News reported. One resident of the building, who's pet dog was killed in the destruction, said in a GoFundMe : 'In a matter of hours, [my mom] lost her pet, Darla, clothes, furniture, personal belongings, and even her vehicle. The place she called home is now unrecognizable.' Footage showed the destruction to the building, as rubble could be seen strewn across the ground and the interior exposed by the damage. It remains unclear how many were impacted by the destruction. Similarly, swift flash flooding arrived in Marion County, south of Wheeling and Ohio County, early Sunday afternoon, caused extensive damage to bridges, roads and some homes, the county's Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management said in a Facebook post. At least 165 calls to emergency services have been made for aid since the storms began. Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency in Marion County Sunday evening. Jim Blazier, the fire chief in Wheeling in the state's northern panhandle, said crews performed rescue operations into Sunday's early morning hours. 'We're searching the banks, we're searching submerged vehicles, any debris we find along the trail and so forth,' Blazier said. 'We're using drones, search dogs and swift water personnel, and we have teams organized that are searching sectors that we're trying to recover anybody that's missing.' Around 2,500 power outages were reported in the county Sunday, Morrisey confirmed in a news release Sunday evening. He has declared a state of emergency in Ohio County and mobilized the National Guard to support emergency operations. 'In many respects, this is kind of a unicorn event, because a lot of the rain had very narrow areas and there were roughly 3 to 4 inches of water that fell in the area in less than an hour,' Morrisey said at a press conference earlier Sunday. 'That's very, very difficult to deal with.' He added, 'Your friends, your neighbors, your first responders and people in the community, they're out working very hard to find people. That's our No. 1 task right now, trying to identify anyone who may still be out there.' 'Please - stay off the roads,' Morrisey warned residents. 'Do not underestimate the strength and speed of these floods. Pray for our friends and neighbors during this challenging time for our state.'
