Weekend Flooding in West Virginia Leaves 6 Dead \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Gov. Morrisey declared a state of emergency after torrential weekend rains in West Virginia’s northern panhandle killed six people and left two missing. Flash flooding swept away homes, vehicles, and infrastructure after up to four inches of rain in under an hour. Meteorologists warn that climate change–driven intense rain is making such sudden deluges more common.
Quick Looks
- Location & Impact: Wheeling, Ohio County, Marion County–including Fairmont and Triadelphia–suffered widespread flooding, damaging at least 60 homes, 25 businesses, and around 30 roads.
- Casualties: Six fatalities confirmed, including a 3‑year‑old; two people still missing.
- Infrastructure: Bridges, roads, apartment walls and mobile homes were washed out or collapsed under rising waters.
- Eyewitness Reports: Flood survivors likened the surge to a “tsunami,” with cars “floating by with people in them.”
- Climate & Weather Context: Experts connect the extreme rainfall rates—3–4″ in 40 minutes—to climate change intensifying stormwater events.
Deep Look
West Virginia is grappling with the aftermath of a devastating weekend of torrential rain and flash flooding that left six people dead and at least two others missing. The hardest-hit areas include Wheeling, Ohio County, and the smaller town of Triadelphia in the state’s northern panhandle. Torrents of rain fell rapidly—up to four inches in just 40 minutes—swamping streets, destroying homes, and trapping residents.
Governor Patrick Morrisey, who declared a state of emergency in both Ohio and Marion counties, confirmed the scale of the destruction during a Monday briefing. “It’s just Mother Nature at its worst,” Morrisey said. “What I saw in Triadelphia was nothing short of pure devastation. That was brutal.”
Among the deceased is a 3-year-old child, marking one of the most tragic losses in a state already familiar with flood disasters. In Triadelphia, the scene was described by emergency responders and residents as chaotic and fast-moving. Vehicles were swept into raging creeks, a mobile home caught fire, and some people were forced to seek refuge in treetops to escape the rising waters.
The flooding was so intense and rapid that survivors compared it to a tsunami. Rich Templin, a Triadelphia resident, was at work when his wife frantically texted that floodwaters were engulfing their neighborhood. “Cars were floating by with people in them,” she told him. Just minutes after the rain began, the waters had swept away their trailer and submerged two storage garages used for a family trucking business. Templin’s home, located on higher ground, was spared, but the damage to property and livelihoods was severe. “We’re trying to see what’s salvageable and just start the rebuilding process,” he said.
In nearby Fairmont, Marion County, heavy rains on Sunday tore away the outer wall of an apartment building and heavily damaged several bridges and roadways. Despite the widespread destruction, no injuries were reported in Fairmont. Still, residents like Teena Libe described a near-apocalyptic scene as water surged into their neighborhoods. “The whole entire area within 30 seconds was just underwater,” she said. “It’s just a really surreal feeling and shocking how just within minutes it was just complete disaster.”
Libe couldn’t leave her home because a flooded bridge was blocked by stranded vehicles and scattered debris, including refrigerators and furniture. Without power or water, she was grateful when her landlord delivered a generator to help her weather the aftermath. “It just really solidifies the power of nature and how quick your life can just be turned upside down,” she said.
Emergency officials in Wheeling have called for donations of cleaning supplies, shovels for mud removal, and other necessities to aid affected families. According to Gov. Morrisey, the flooding impacted at least 60 homes, 25 businesses, and an estimated 30 roads—many of which remain impassable or damaged beyond immediate repair.
Meteorologists have pointed to a stalled weather system that hovered over the region as the culprit for the intense rainfall. Marshall Shepherd, director of the atmospheric sciences program at the University of Georgia, emphasized the role of climate change in making such extreme rain events more common. “Where the climate change signal is crystal clear to me is the rain rates,” he said. The atmosphere, warmed by global climate trends, can now hold more moisture, releasing it in sudden and powerful downpours.
Brian Tang, a professor of atmospheric science at the University at Albany, noted that the volume of rain that fell over a short period in Fairmont—about 2.5 to 4 inches in 30 minutes—typically has only a 1-in-100 chance of occurring in a given year. “When looking at the statistics of torrential rain events, there is a clear signal that climate change is loading the dice for heavy rainfall,” Tang said. He also pointed to the region’s hilly terrain and already-saturated soil from earlier rains as key contributors to the flash flooding.
This event adds to the long history of catastrophic flooding in the region. Saturday’s storm occurred 35 years to the day after a flash flood in Shadyside, Ohio—just across the border from Wheeling—claimed 26 lives and destroyed 80 homes after more than five inches of rain fell in under three hours. In recent years, the region has suffered deadly floods in both 2017 and 2022. Last year, powerful storms even disrupted a local cemetery in Wheeling, washing away nearly 200 tombstones.
As residents begin the long recovery, local leaders are not only calling for aid but also emphasizing the need for updated infrastructure capable of withstanding the intensifying effects of climate change. Outdated stormwater management systems, designed for the climate of the past, were no match for the kind of rain now falling across the state.
With more rain in the forecast and the community still on edge, West Virginians face both immediate cleanup challenges and long-term questions about climate resilience in flood-prone areas.
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