According to W.Va. Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jimmy Gianato, these are the latest facts and figures:
The State Emergency Operations Center continues to track the potential severe weather threat forecast for this region, in close coordination with the local National Weather Service offices. The SEOC is hosting daily briefings for county and local emergency officials and other responders, and will schedule special weather briefings as warranted.
A flash flood watch was in effect from the predawn hours of Monday, July 4 through late that night. The watch applies to 21 West Virginia counties including the federal disaster declaration counties of Clay, Jackson, Nicholas, Roane and Webster. A flash flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding. More info at http://www.weather.gov/rlx.
As has been reported by Greenbrier County officials, a second body was recovered there this weekend. The body will also be taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy. This raises the confirmed death toll to 22, with one considered still missing in Greenbrier County and presumed dead.
Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited with W.Va. Air and Army National Guard personnel deployed to the affected areas this weekend. The W.Va. National Guard has posted information and photos on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WV.NationalGuard/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1149544931734031
A sixth Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is now open, this one in Roane County. DRCs are one-stop shops that provide one-on-one, face-to-face help for eligible storm survivors. Additional DRCs are planned for Clay and Webster counties.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) does not just assist small businesses. It offers low-interest disaster loans for businesses of all sizes, homeowners, renters and private non-profit organizations.
SBA disaster loans may cover repairs and rebuilding as well as the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property. More information is available at http://www.sba.gov/disaster; (800) 659-2955; (800) 877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing; and disastercustomerservice
@sba.gov.
Flood survivors may call West Virginia 211, a free information and referral service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They can call 2-1-1 for help finding food, childcare, crisis counseling, and many other resources in their local communities.
Everyone registering with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster assistance is reminded to provide good contact information. That will ensure that a FEMA contract inspector can arrange to view disaster damage.
Inspectors are thoroughly trained and use specialized software to verify disaster damage quickly. The inspection may only last 10 or 20 minutes. The inspector does not make decisions on eligibility.
FEMA offers these tips: Applicants unable to be present for the inspection can designate someone in the household over 18 years of age who was living in the household prior to the disaster. If an inspection cannot be made, FEMA may not be able to finish processing the application.
Survivors should not wait to start their cleaning up and making repairs to their home. They should save their receipts and document damage with photos.
Although there are other legitimate inspectors in the field, beware of people posing as FEMA inspectors or “FEMA approved” repair contractors. FEMA makes no such endorsements.
Legitimate FEMA inspectors will have the applicant’s nine-digit case number assigned at registration and always carry FEMA identification badges with a photograph. Inspections are free; inspectors are not authorized to ask for personal financial information other than to verify information provided at registration.
Federal assistance information is also at: http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2016/06/25/federal-aid-programs-state-west-virginia
The Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) has developed county-specific informational fliers detailing assistance and resources in each of the 10 counties initially granted Federal Disaster Declarations: http://www.dhhr.wv.gov/secretary/Pages/Resources-for-Flood-Victims.aspx
Dept. of Homeland Security EM has launched www.dhsem.wv.gov/Pages/WV-Flood-Information.aspx as a resource page for the flood response. Information hosted on this page includes much of what has been previously provided in the DHSEM media updates. The page also hosts an archive of prior updates and other relevant documents.
www.wvflood.com, a website developed by Volunteer WV, “attempts to connect the dots between those donating and those who need to receive the donations.” The site’s contact is help@wvflood.com.
The W.Va. Division of Highways (DOH) has released initial road damage cost estimates in the Clay County area to be $8,521,500.
