KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — The Kanawha County Board of Education is receiving about $1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse the board for temporary classrooms bought after the 2016 floods that destroyed Herbert Hoover High School.
The funding from the agency's public assistance program was announced Friday by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.
“Almost three years later, communities across West Virginia are still feeling the effects of the 2016 floods,” Capito said in a news release. “While coordinated recovery efforts by local, state, and federal officials have made progress in many areas, it is critical that we have permanent facilities for those students whose schools were damaged as a result of the floods.”
Capito recently spoke with FEMA Region III Administrator MaryAnn Tierney to talk about the pace of work to construct a permanent replacement for the high school. She said the reimbursement is a step in the right direction.
Manchin said West Virginians have "bounced back from the pain and destruction the 2016 floods caused, but we still have more to do. This grant will help our communities repair and provide the students of Kanawha County the best education available. These students deserve to have their schools rebuilt and as a member of the Appropriations committee, I will continue to ensure they receive that support."
Herbert Hoover High School students have been attending class in portable classrooms near Elkview Middle School. School system officials have said the new Herbert Hoover High School is slated to open in the fall of 2022.