Red Cross volunteers are manning service centers in Ohio and Marion counties where flash floods the weekend of June 14 caused destruction. Eight people were killed in Ohio County. (Photo Provided)

WHEELING — Recovery assistance for flood victims is available from the American Red Cross that has opened service centers in Ohio County where flash flooding killed eight people and damaged hundreds of properties.

“We’ve had a steady amount of people come in here today,” Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley, said.

Kesselring was at the Red Cross Service Center at the Triadelphia Town Hall at 4453 National Road, Triadelphia. The other center is located at Roney’s Point Church, 169 Dallas Pike, Triadelphia, where a resident arrived at opening time on Tuesday, she said.

Both centers are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday.

The Red Cross was among the first agencies to respond to Ohio and Marion counties after severe storms caused flash flooding the weekend of June 14. While eight people died in Ohio County, no deaths were reported in Fairmont in Marion County where an apartment collapsed.

About 50 volunteers and staff are working the centers in Ohio County and in Marion County.

Kesselring expects the centers will get busier as word of their opening spreads throughout the communities.

The help from the Red Cross is to take care of the immediate emergency needs of the victims, such as food, clothing and other accommodations, Kesselring said. The amount of assistance depends on the size of the household, she said.

The Red Cross assesses the individual needs of each impacted household and provides recovery assistance, including financial assistance, recovery planning and referrals to its community partners. The Red Cross is getting immediate assistance into the hands of residents whose homes were severely impacted by flooding.

“We’re getting it done,” Kesselring said.

Red Cross damage assessment teams have been in communities to determine if homes received major damage or were destroyed. Households must apply for the program by visiting the centers during the open hours with proof of identity and residency, such as a state issued ID and current utility bill, or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule an appointment with a representative.