Morrisey: Officials assessing flood damage in Ohio County

by Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
June 27, 2025

Flash floods on Thursday evening struck several parts of West Virginia, including an area in the northern part of the state still reeling from severe weather earlier this month. 

Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday no loss of life has been reported as a result of Thursday’s flash floods. Officials are assessing any new damage that might have occurred in Ohio County on Thursday, he said. 

“I know that I saw some pictures coming out of Triadelphia from last night, and that was a community that was hit very, very hard,” Morrisey said Friday during a press briefing from Fairmont. 

According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, about 1.6 inches of rain fell in an hour in parts of the Wheeling area Thursday evening, causing roads and basements to flood and some creeks to exceed their banks. 

Nine people died in the flash floods that washed through northern West Virginia after several inches of rain fell in a short period of time June 14 and 15. 

The body of a ninth victim, 83-year-old Sandra Kay Parsons, was found in the Ohio River on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. No other people are believed to be unaccounted for, Morrisey said this week.

Overnight Thursday, high water and debris caused the northbound lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike to be closed near the Dawes exit in Kanawha County for more than eight hours, according to news reports. 

According to radar estimates from the National Weather Service in Charleston, around 6 inches of rain fell Thursday evening in that area of the county, meteorologist Ray Young said. 

Morrisey said state officials are investigating the Turnpike closure, which he called “unacceptable.”

“We’re going to get to the bottom of everything,” Morrisey said. “I’m going to tell you that we’re going to get to the bottom of things to make sure that everything is done right, and if there are problems that were decisions that were made that were bad, we’re going to make sure that we let people know about that… But most importantly, we’re trying to make sure that that road is fully passable.”

In a statement Friday afternoon, Parkways Authority chief Chuck Smith said that traffic should have been detoured to allow drivers a route around the landslide.

“We are grateful that there were no injuries as a result of the flooding and traffic stoppage. The Parkways Authority takes full responsibility for the failure to reroute traffic, and would like to assure the public that this will never happen again,” he said. “At the direction of Governor Patrick Morrisey, the Parkways Authority is already examining and revising its policies on Turnpike closures and detours as a result of this incident.”

Morrisey has asked for a federal disaster declaration that would make assistance available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Ohio and Marion counties for the floods earlier this month. He said he’s been in close contact with the Trump administration about the request. 

Morrisey stressed that flooded residents who have not done so should fill out a damage survey, available online at emd.wv.gov 

“Ultimately, that’s a critical part of the process to ensure that the feds know exactly what happened on the ground, and then they’ll make financial decisions as a result of it,” he said. “So if you haven’t done so already, we urge people to fill out their disaster survey form.”

Morrisey announced this week the West Virginia Housing Development Fund has approved providing about $500,000 for housing assistance to flooded residents. The funding is also available for those affected by floods in February. 

“It’s hard to fathom just how hard these communities were hit, but they have come together with strength and resilience during this challenging time,” Morrisey said in a statement. “The funds that I’ve made available for housing-related expenses are another step in the recovery process, and we’re working as quickly as possible to distribute these funds to those who need them.”

To apply for housing assistance, flooded residents can visit the Housing Development Fund’s website at https://www.wvhdf.com. 

In addition to the housing assistance, SNAP recipients who lost food during the June 14 and 15 flash floods have until July 7 to apply for benefits to replace it, the state Department of Health announced Thursday. 

The department extended the deadline to apply by 10 days, according to a news release. The extension applies to households in Marion, Ohio and Monongalia counties who lost food because of the severe storms that began on June 14. 

SNAP recipients are eligible for replacement benefits if they lost food due to a power outage that lasted more than four hours, the DoHS said. They must provide verification and a signed affidavit. For more information, contact a local DoHS county office or call the state Office of Constituent Services’ Customer Service Hotline at 1-877-716-1212.

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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.