The Huntington District’s Water Management Team supported the District’s response to the significant precipitation event which stretched from North of Columbus across Central West Virginia and resulted in historic flooding.
The precipitation ranged from 3-9 inches across West Virginia. Camden on the Gauley, and Webster Springs experienced the highest stages ever recorded. The point precipitation that occurred at White Sulphur Springs was greater than the 1000 year event. Of significance, Summersville and Sutton Dams operations resulted in reductions of 12 feet at Belva, 10 feet at Kanawha Falls, 8 feet in Charleston, 4 feet at Frametown, 2 feet at Clay, and 1.5 feet at Webster Springs. The flooding has caused severe damage and destruction to homes and businesses across the state and stranded multiple individuals, requiring evacuations and rescues. To date, 24 fatalities were caused by the storms; a Presidential Disaster Declaration was initially issued for 3 counties and then an additional 7 were added.