Evacuation order issued for parts of Buckhannon; Upshur, Lewis and Taylor Counties hit hard by floods

By Matthew Young, BBG

Shortly after 1:00 a.m. this morning, the Upshur County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) issued an immediate evacuation order for residents of 1st Street through 5th Street and Cleveland Avenue in Buckhannon, due to rapidly worsening conditions resulting from severe flooding. Any residents remaining in the impacted area must evacuate at this time.

An emergency shelter has been set up at the Church of the Nazarene, located at 192 Zicks Run in Buckhannon. 

The evacuation order came approximately six-hours after the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency for portions of north-central West Virginia, including Upshur County and surrounding areas. At the time the notice was issued at 7:30 p.m., the situation was reported to be “extremely dangerous [and] life threatening.” Conditions in the area have deteriorated further since that time. 

Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a State of Emergency for all of West Virginia’s 55 counties late last night. Unsubstantiated reports from throughout the last several hours state that the West Virginia National Guard has both air and water rescue vehicles in the area of Upshur and Lewis Counties, and are using the Locust Street Burger King location in Buckhannon as a makeshift command area. Numerous water rescues have also been reported in Upshur, Lewis, and Taylor Counties. 

In a social media post shortly after midnight, Gov. Morrisey confirmed that the National Guard, as well as other emergency responders, have been deployed to the north-central part of the state, and “will continue to focus on rescue efforts in hard hit areas.” 

At approximately 5:30 this morning, the Upshur County 911 Center reported that both emergency and non-emergency phone lines at the center are down, and those in need of help should call 304-613-2619. 

“Be patient as even this line is hit or miss,” a social media post from the 911 Center stated. “Stay safe, stay where you are, or where you are told to go. River was last reported to be at 26.49 at 3:41 a.m., which exceeded the predicted crest level.”