Ohio County residents rally to recover from devastating flash floods

OHIO COUNTY, W.Va. — In the aftermath of severe flash flooding that struck Ohio County on Saturday night, residents and volunteers have come together to aid in the cleanup efforts.

The flooding prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency, leaving many local businesses and homes damaged.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before, ever,” said Karen Shaw, owner of Rising Up Yoga. “I’ve never experienced anything like this — and it was just devastating.”

Her yoga studio, along with other businesses on National Road in Wheeling, was inundated with water.

Crews have been working tirelessly to clear debris from the roads, though some areas require more time for recovery. Several cars remain submerged in Wheeling Creek, awaiting retrieval.

The Ohio Valley Mutual Aid has set up in front of Wheelcraft to assist those affected and evaluate the damage.

“Right now, the services that we need that we can kind of offer is mud out, with all the mud that comes into basements, even first floors in this case, we are shoveling it off, power washing where able, and that’s what’s one of the harder things whenever your home, or even your basement, got layers of mud in it..” said said Vincent DeGeorge from Mutual Aid.

“We are just trying to be here and meet the immediate needs, and it shows we have so many people coming and bring supplies,” said Polly Barks from Mutual aid.

Rabbi Joshua Lief of Temple Shalom noted the community’s resilience and support.

“We’ve had a few congregants that have had catastrophic losses, and we are going to do what we can to be of help to them. Our bigger concern is the overall community, and our friends and neighbors who are still suffering and those that are not yet accounted for,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Shaw highlighted the community’s spirit of unity and support.

“I have people randomly coming in off the street to bring us coffee, to bring us meals, to help clean up mud. They are spending their Father’s Day here cleaning up this studio, and I am so grateful. And I would not want to be anywhere else,” she said.

As recovery efforts continue, those affected by the flooding are encouraged to seek additional resources available through local support networks.