The last week has been a whirlwind for hundreds of Ohio County families devastated by the June 14 flooding in what now has become the largest single mass casualty incident in recent memory.

Consider:

– Eight dead and one still reported as missing. Among the dead were a mother and her 3-year-old daughter; a husband and wife; and a recent high school graduate; and others. (And let’s be clear: without the efforts of our area’s first responders, who selflessly put themselves in harm’s way to save others, the death toll would have been much higher. Dozens of swift-water rescues took place on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.)

– Tens of millions of dollars in property damage.

– Nearly two dozen homes destroyed, and more than 100 additional homes significantly damaged

– Upward of 70 cars destroyed, many of them finding their way into the creek, where they spilled fuel and oil;

– The Shilling Bridge closed;

– Lives forever altered.

The terror and helplessness of watching as cars with people inside are swept away is something that can never be forgotten. The lack of being able to do much of anything as creeks, in the span of seconds, go from running a bit high to covering roads and then destroying lives — how does one rationalize that?

It would have been easy for many impacted to simply give up.

But that’s not who we are.

Within minutes of the water rising, rescues began. Within hours, those impacted started the recovery process — and local residents turned out to help. Gov. Patrick Morrisey quickly declared a State of Emergency for the county and mobilized the West Virginia National Guard. Additional state highways workers and State Police arrived on scene. Residents mobilized through groups such as Ohio Valley Mutual Aid to provide supplies and begin the clean-up process. And our local Emergency Management Agency –we can’t say enough of the work done this past week by EMA Director Lou Vargo, Assistant Director Tony Campbell and Wheeling Public Information Officer Philip Stahl in helping to manage this disaster and keep the public informed.

While much has been accomplished over the past week, more help is on the way to assist with the rebuilding.

Newbridge Church is hosting Samaritan’s Purse and Eight Days of Hope. The National Road Church of Christ is partnering with Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort and Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team. These organizations don’t just offer supplies and assistance, they bring in specialists to help our friends and neighbors rebuild their lives. It’s assistance that will go a long way toward helping our county fully recover.

And there’s still so much you can do. Aside from the physical labor that is needed to help clean basements filled with mud, or rebuild a home, you can provide meals for those working to help others. Monetary donations continue to be needed — school will be back in session soon.

Find a way to help. It’s what we’re called to do.