Local, state officials assist families in responding to severe weather damage

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Families across the Tri-State are still working to figure out, “Where do we go next?” after severe weather last week left a trail of devastation. For many, that process can be overwhelming, which is why state and local officials are offering assistance to help them move forward.

The Red Cross of the Central Appalachian Region has boots on the ground in several counties across the tri-state including Kanawha, and Fayette Counties in West Virginia; Boyd County in Kentucky; and Lawrence County in Ohio. Erica Mani, the Regional CEO, said they currently are serving over 70 families and are expecting more cases to be opened from residents asking for help.

“That is what the Red Cross focuses on right now: immediate needs,” Mani said. “So, if you have no where to turn, you don’t have a home to stay in because it’s been destroyed, the Red Cross is there to make sure we provide financial assistance as well as additional case work assistance like making sure we find the additional resources in communities.”

Ben Salango, Kanawha County Commissioner, said they are working with the Red Cross, West Virginia VOAD and Soil Conservation to provide more assistance for local families in their area.

“There was a lot of damage, a lot of trees down, a lot of buildings damage. There were hundreds of structures damaged, and what we’re doing is that we’re working with the Red Cross to make sure we get assistance to those people who have significant damage to their homes who, quite frankly, can’t get back into their homes.”

As for state-level assistance, 13 News Reporter Rachel Pellegrino asked West Virginia Governor Jim Justice about that during his briefing on Wednesday. While he did not give specifics on immediate assistance for those affected, he said they’re working on more long-term assistance like an emergency fund to help in future disasters.

“We’ve got a lot a lot of dollars in surplus dollars, and I’m telling you I’m not going to be your governor forever but … it is frivolous for us to not create a bucket for where we can help folks when they have situations whether it be a mudslide or flooding event or, God forbid, another tornado event,” Justice said. “With all that being said, we have got to have the ability to have the foresight especially now to create a bucket, and I’m going to put it back on my call when I call our legislature back.”

West Virginia House of Delegates House Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R-Clay) released a statement in response to Gov. Justice’s briefing:

“Many West Virginians continue to recover from last week’s extreme weather events, and my prayers remain with them. Neither the Fiscal Year 2025 budget the governor presented to the Legislature in January, nor the Fiscal Year 2025 budget the Legislature passed in March, would have any bearing on the state’s ability to aid with this disaster right now. The governor’s Civil Contingent Fund currently contains $85 million, and those funds are at his disposal for emergencies such as this. The governor is granted even more flexibility in directing funds during a State of Emergency. If the governor wishes to respond to this tragedy in any way, he has the full capacity to do so, unfettered by the Legislature.”

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R-Clay)

Gov. Justice also addressed the possibility of federal assistance for families affected throughout West Virginia. However, he said it’s going to be difficult to get it across the finish line because FEMA wants a “great amount” of people affected or a “great amount” of property damage. That’s why he said they plan to combine high wind and flooding damages in one FEMA request.

“There’s too many instances where really, really good people across this state that we can’t get them qualified for FEMA, but we can still have this emergency fund to be able to help them,” Justice said. “It’s difficult to make anything happen right now but they’re trying and we’re going to keep on trying.”

Kanawha County has set up a damage survey for affected families to fill out, which they said will be crucial in the process for requesting federal assistance. A link is available here: Kanawha County Damage Survey .

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