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Wood County officials to take donations for West Virginia flood victims

Wood County Commission President Blair Couch in the garage bays at the Wood County Resiliency Center. The county will be holding a flood relief drive Monday, June 23, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the center where the county is accepting donations to help people impacted by recent flooding in Ohio County, West Virginia. People are being asked to donate bottled water, mops, brooms, garbage bags, diapers, baby wipes, sanitizer, sunscreen, tooth brushes, tooth paste, blankets, Gatorade and more. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — People will be able to donate needed items to help people in the Ohio County area recover from recent flooding this coming Monday at the Wood County Resiliency Center.

A flood relief drive will be held at the center, located at 328 Second St. in downtown Parkersburg, on Monday, June 23, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. People will be able to drop off donations in the garage bays on the end of the building.

“We are having a Flood Drive here at the Resiliency Center to help those affected by the devastation in Ohio County,” said center Director Sydney Weber. “We are looking for a variety of different items that can help people be able to clean up.”

They reached out to officials in Ohio County to see what items were needed, if something could be done on Monday and if things would still be needed by early next week which they would be.

“They said this will be a long response,” Weber said.

People are being asked to donate bottled water, mops, brooms, garbage bags, diapers, baby wipes, sanitizer, sunscreen, tooth brushes, tooth paste, blankets, Gatorade and more to help people in Ohio County who experienced flash flooding in Ohio County over the weekend.

The flooding has caused damage to property and homes and as of Thursday morning there were eight confirmed fatalities. Gov. Patrick Morrisey has mobilized the National Guard to help local emergency response efforts in the area.

“The Resiliency Center was built to respond to disasters in our area and when we saw the devastation in Ohio County we thought about how we could get involved and how we could help,” Weber said.

People are advised they can drive through the Second Street entrance of the garage bays and drop their donations off, regardless of weather, officials said.

Wood County Commission President Blair Couch credits Weber with coming up with the idea to do this drive locally and to utilize the Resiliency Center.

“It was a great idea,” he said. “She saw a need and knew we had a facility that could meet that need.

“A lot of times, these drives are conducted in parking lots and elsewhere. We have this facility to be able to do it rain or shine.”

Couch is hopeful many people in the area can contribute.

“I know Wood County cares,” he said. “There are people here in Wood County who have lost loved ones in Ohio County.”

Couch said he, Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard, Chief Deputy Mike Deem and others will drive the donations up to Ohio County after everything is collected. He is hopeful they will be able to get a couple box trucks and more filled up with donations.

“This is the first step,” Couch said. “This is why this building was designed so we could do things regardless of the weather.

“This is the kind of good works we need to do. West Virginians help West Virginians.”

Couch is hoping for donations from both sides of the river. He recalled the derecho in late June of 2012 where many people were without power, but still people locally helped each other on their own. Some were cutting up fallen trees themselves and not waiting on anyone to do it.

There have been areas of Wood County that have had flash flooding, but there are people in Ohio County who have lost their homes.

The donation drive will also show local residents ways the Resiliency Center can be utilized.

“We really want to help Ohio County,” Couch said. “Whenever there is a disaster, West Virginians and especially Wood Countians come together and want to help.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.

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