Community

Flooding Concerns Continue In McMechen

McMECHEN - Donald Cooley is tired of flooding near and inside his business, Don's Mobile Tax Service in McMechen.

Cooley has been dealing with flooding caused by runoff from heavy rain and Ohio River flooding for many years. And this week has been no different.

"On Monday, the street was completely flooded, all the way across," he said. "We couldn't get anybody in the office at all. We had to call and cancel all of our appointments."

On Tuesday, the water was still high leaving people having to walk through it to reach his building. There was no close parking either.

"It's just a mess. It's like this every time it rains hard," Cooley said. "Now we're facing a flood. From what I understand the river is going to flood."

Cooley believes that, when the river reaches about 41 feet, a road below his building floods.

"We'll have a flood in our basement. There's nothing they can do about this river, but there is something they can do about this street, but they haven't done it yet" he said, referring to city officials.

Cooley said larger stormwater pipes are needed to handle the amount of water that runs off the hills in the city.

Cooley noted he has thought about moving his business to another location, but no one would want to purchase his building because of the flood issues, he said.

"Who's going to buy the building when it's in a flood zone like that?" he said. "I would love to move my business out of here, but I'm kind of stuck."

Cooley noted during a 2017 Ohio River flood, water backed up into a nearby creek and flooded the neighborhood. His business' basement took on four feet of water. When it receded there was about a foot of mud to clean out.

In an effort to get some help regarding the runoff flooding, Cooley said he and other businesses and residents wrote letters expressing their concerns and asking for help. The letters were collected by someone in the neighborhood and were slated to be mailed to state, federal and local officials.

In his letter, Cooley outlines the history of his business and the money he has invested in it over the years. He also talked about the damage he had to fix due to the high water. Just last year, flooding eroded his sidewalk and basement wall, costing $17,500.

"Please do right by the residents and businesses located in Marshall County. Please fix these items so that people can sit on their porches, children can play outside and businesses can flourish," he wrote. "As Governor Justice said, we can't do all this by ourselves. It is time for us to lean on you. It is time for the state to take care of its current and future constituents, the people of McMechen, W.Va."

An employee at the nearby Embers bar declined to comment, referring questions to the owner, who could not be reached at press time.