W.Va. flood death toll lowered after surprising find
ANSTED, W.Va. - West Virginia officials said Monday two men presumed dead in West Virginia flooding have been found alive.
In a memo, state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jimmy Gianato said two men thought to have been swept away in a camper in Greenbrier County were found alive. The details of where the men were found were not immediately released.
The discovery lowers the death toll to 23 in the sudden flooding that caught many in the state by surprise. That includes 20 bodies found and three people who are presumed dead.
National Guard teams removed debris Monday as authorities in West Virginia prepared for another round of storms in the rain-soaked state.
West Virginia Emergency Management Agency spokesman Tim Rock said "everybody's just keeping an eye on the sky" as search and rescue teams continue to check whether everyone is accounted for.
More heavy rains are forecast later in the day. More than 20 counties, most in the southern part of the state, are under a flash flood watch. The National Weather Service warned downpours were possible in many areas already ravaged by flooding, including Kanawha and Nicholas counties. The forecast also included hardest-hit Greenbrier County, where 15 people have died and floodwaters have yet to recede.
Teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are taking stock of the damage and National Guard crews are removing debris, he said.
Rock said recovery teams plan to work as much as possible but may pull back if storms intensify.
As the next round of storms arrive, many residents are still trying to come to grips with ruined property and where they'll live next.
Authorities have yet to start sizing up the flood damage in West Virginia. But it is drawing comparisons to November 1985 floods that remain the state's most expensive natural disaster with more than $570 million in damage.
The 1985 floods left 47 dead in West Virginia, more than half of them in Pendleton and Grant counties. The Potomac River at Paw Paw crested 29 feet above flood stage. More than 3,500 homes, 180 businesses and 43 bridges statewide were destroyed. Twenty-nine counties were declared federal disaster areas.
"This is the worst I've ever seen," said Fayette County Sheriff's Sgt. Bill Mooney, who served in the National Guard during massive floods in 2000-01. "Nobody expected 7 inches of (rain) in three hours."
About 18,000 homes and businesses remained without power Sunday. It marked the first day people can apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid in Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas counties.
President Barack Obama's signature Saturday on the federal disaster declaration lets residents in the three counties get aid for temporary housing and home repairs, receive low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and qualify for other assistance for individuals and business owners. Federal money to help the state and local governments is also available on a cost-sharing basis. FEMA officials were in the state to begin assessing the damage to infrastructure, homes and other property.