This June photo shows the aftermath of deadly flash flooding in Ohio County. Nine people were killed and dozens of homes and vehicles were destroyed. (File Photo)

TRIADELPHIA — On one Saturday night in June, lives changed forever.

More than three inches of rain fell in just 62 minutes in Valley Grove the night of June 14. That storm overloaded Wheeling Creek and sent floodwaters barreling through Valley Grove, into Triadelphia and into Wheeling’s Elm Grove neighborhood. Flooding also battered Wheeling’s Woodsdale neighborhood.

That Saturday night was chaos. Cars and metal storage containers floated down National Road. Residents caught in the waters clung to tree limbs so they wouldn’t be swept away.

In the end, nine people were killed, dozens of homes were destroyed and families throughout the community were forced to start over.

Ohio County residents in the floodwater’s path watched the mayhem unfold around them. Brenda White of Triadelphia saw the water rise in just minutes until it surrounded her and her husband Greg’s home. She watched multiple cars sail past her front yard, the street becoming a river.

“In all my 76 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” White said. “Ever.”

Mud caked the roads, yards and floors of homes. Vehicles finally settled on strangers’ property. Memories washed away with water.

Then came the weeks-long wait for federal assistance. Plenty of groups arrived in the county in the interim – the Red Cross, the West Virginia National Guard, numerous national disaster relief organizations as well as some local relief groups – yet without that disaster declaration, the full catalog of relief resources weren’t available.

That changed July 22, more than a month after the floods hit, when the federal government announced a disaster declaration for Ohio County. That allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up shop in the area, giving flood victims the opportunities for financial relief that really allowed them to begin the rebuilding process.

Yet in the interim, the Ohio Valley showed its community spirit, sprinting to their neighbors’ aid. From fundraisers to donation drives to folks volunteering to muck out basements, residents of the region came together to help. Triadelphia United Methodist Church became an even stronger community hub, where flood victims could find a hot meal, necessary supplies or just a place in the shade to relax from toiling in the summer sun.

Those efforts were applauded throughout the region.

“Thanks to the army of volunteers,” Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder said. “It’s really unbelievable what’s going on out there. I’ve had the opportunity over the last couple of days to see America at its best — to see that happening.”

Months later, the rebuilding process continues. Houses, and lives, are being rebuilt. The emotional scars, however, remain. The Ohio Valley Family Resource Network recently sponsored an opportunity at the Valley Grove Volunteer Fire Department for flood victims to just sit and talk about their experiences. Valley Grove resident Doug Nelson admitted that, even with the great strides that have been made, it’s still tough.

“I have a hard time every time it starts raining,” he said.