Ohio Valley Groups Work To Help West Virginia Flood Victims
WHEELING — Local organizations, such as The House of the Carpenter and the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, will assist flood relief efforts in southern West Virginia by collecting monetary donations and sending volunteers to devastated communities.
Heavy rains spurred rising rivers, creeks and streams last week, which wrecked many areas within the state, particularly Nicholas, Kanawha and Greenbrier counties. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency for 44 of West Virginia’s 55 counties in response. House of the Carpenter Executive Director Michael Linger said a team of eight to 10 volunteers, specifically trained to handle flood cleanup, will disembark Thursday to Richwood, W.Va. to aid victims.
“This is going to be a long-term recovery process,” Linger said.
He said organizing relief efforts in such a short span of time has been hectic. The House of the Carpenter, so far, has delivered 63 cleaning buckets, 40 boxes of cleaning supplies and nearly 150 cases of water to relief points.
Linger said another few pallets of water are ready to go, once he acquires another truck to transport them.
He said numerous people have contacted him who are willing to volunteer time in ravaged communities. Linger appreciates this, but emphasized how necessary it is to have individuals trained in flood cleanup make this commitment. He said there’s an “expertise” required in such situations, as there’s a proper way to handle standing flood water and soaked homes.
He said another team will visit next week once assigned a location. Teams will likely continue to visit in the coming weeks in 3-day shifts.
Susie Nelson, executive director of the Community Foundation, said the organization will collect donations for the West Virginia Red Cross.
Nelson said CFOV wished to make it simple for local residents to donate, and help cover the Red Cross’s cost for flood relief..
The CFOV will accept cash or check donations at its offices at 1310 Market St.
Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross of Northwest West Virginia, said monetary contributions will provide food and shelter for victims and Red Cross volunteers. The Red Cross is also offering mental health services to help people cope with the destruction, as well as medical services to supply victims with prescriptions they may have lost.
“It’s going to take so many people to make this happen,” Kesselring said. “The beginnings of recovery will take weeks — longterm, months.
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