My thoughts and prayers are with all West Virginians who have been impacted by the severe flooding throughout our state over the last several days, especially those who have lost or are missing loved ones.

Today, I visited Greenbrier County, and some of the hardest hit areas in southern West Virginia, to help ensure those affected have the resources they need. I have been in constant contact with Governor Tomblin, local officials, FEMA and other emergency responders about flood response and public safety in the 44 counties under a State of Emergency. My staff and I will continue working throughout the weekend to help those who have been displaced or are in need of assistance.

For the latest emergency response information, or to find a local emergency response office, please visit the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s website here.

To view the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s list of road closures, click here.

If you would like to help those impacted by the flooding, you can register as a volunteer with the Red Cross by clicking here.

The Red Cross is also maintaining a hotline, 1-800-REDCROSS, and a list of shelters is available here for those in need of assistance.

Volunteer West Virginia has offered the following information about how to help: 

  • INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers should not self-deploy, please stay safe until contacted by a volunteer coordinator. Please register to volunteer at www.volunteerwv.org.  If you are already volunteering at a local shelter or response operation but are not already registered with another disaster response agency (like the Red Cross), please register using the link on our website and comments with your current volunteer location.  
  • GROUP VOLUNTEERS: For agencies with groups of volunteers ready to help (including church groups and student organizations), please register your team on the website at www.volunteerwv.org. You only need to register your team once.
  • AGENCIES WHO NEED ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER SUPPORT: If your agency needs additional volunteer support to staff shelters, conduct damage assessments or is anticipating other volunteer needs, please contact Gina.L.Namay@wv.gov or 304-558-0111 to complete a volunteer request.
  • FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Financial donations are the best way to support the effort at this time. West Virginia has a statewide disaster relief fund managed in cooperation with a network of West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WVVOAD) and the United Methodist Church. You can donate to this fund at https://wvvoad.communityos.org/cms/home. Financial donations can be mailed to:

WV Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 3811
Charleston, WV 25338

I will be regularly updating my Twitter and Facebook pages throughout the weekend with more information.

Please stay safe and keep all of those impacted in your prayers.