Justice Declares State Of Emergency For Ohio County
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CHARLESTON - West Virginia will do everything it can to help the people of Wheeling and Ohio County as they recover from severe wind and rain storms earlier this week, Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday. And that included declaring a state of emergency for Ohio County late Wednesday afternoon.
“Rest assured that when anything like this happens, we’re on it and we’re going to come running to the situation and we’ll put all the resources we have into trying to take care of these folks,” Justice said Wednesday afternoon during his second virtual briefing of the week from the Capitol.
As part of this State of Emergency declaration, Justice directed the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to implement the state's emergency operations plan as necessary, mobilize appropriate personnel and resources to respond to the emergency, and facilitate the provision of essential emergency services.
The West Virginia National Guard and the West Virginia Emergency Management Division are both responding to this event with resources to help start the cleanup process.
Residents in the Northern Panhandle were hit Monday by a series of derechos, powerful lines of storms that bring high winds and heavy rain. Derechos are not common, but one swept through West Virginia in the summer of 2012, including Parkersburg, causing widespread damage from downed trees and power lines and leaving residents without power for more than a week.
The West Virginia National Guard announced Wednesday it was sending a liaison officer from the 1092nd Engineer Battalion to coordinate with the Ohio County Office of Emergency Management on damage assessments and determine where to allocate resources. Starting today, a team of six members of the National Guard will assist with debris and tree removal, staying in place until the mission is completed.
“The West Virginia National Guard can always be relied upon to provide assistance when our citizens need it most,” Maj. Gen. Bill Crane, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, said in a statement Wednesday. “Our soldiers are expertly trained in this mission, and I have no doubt that they will provide the much-needed help that Ohio County requires during this time.”