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CHARLESTON – Pleasants and Ritchie counties have been approved for federal Individual Assistance from severe storms on July 21 that included tornadoes and flooding, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced this weekend.
At least three tornadoes starting in Washington County and on the ground at the same time went over the Ohio River near Pleasants County and continued east into Ritchie and Doddridge counties. Lewis and Upshur counties were previously approved for assistance with the effects of the storms.
Assistance will help eligible homeowners and renters with the costs of recovering and rebuilding, the release from the governor’s office said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is conducting damage assessments and additional information from impacted counties continues to be reviewed, Morrisey said.
"We will keep working with our federal partners and fighting to make sure every eligible West Virginia community receives the assistance it needs to recover," he said. "There is still a long road ahead, but we will continue standing with these communities every step of the way.”
Morrisey also announced the state will appeal the FEMA denial of a major disaster declaration for Boone and Logan counties from severe storms on June 22-23.
“Our administration remains fully committed to fighting for the families and communities impacted by these devastating June storms,” Morrisey said. “While we are grateful to the federal administration for their rapid approval earlier of our disaster declaration for Upshur and Lewis counties, we know the folks in Boone and Logan counties still desperately need relief.”
The June storms caused extensive flooding, landslides and mudslides in Boone and Logan counties, resulting in significant damage to homes and infrastructure, Morrisey said.
The state made a formal request for Individual Assistance to help affected families recover, along with Hazard Mitigation funding to help protect these communities from future disaster events. FEMA recently notified the state that the request was denied, Morrisey said.
The West Virginia Emergency Management Division has 30 days from the Aug. 3 denial to submit additional documentation, damage evaluations and supplemental justification to FEMA for reconsideration, the governor said.