Heavy rainfall triggered severe flooding across Cabell County last week. Huntington’s Enslow Park neighborhood suffered higher waters than most in the region.
WSAZ reports waters rose several inches inside homes, destroying furniture and forcing tenants – like Enslow Park resident Ava Taylor, to search for a new home due to damage.
A submerged section of Route 60 made the commute to work difficult for residents, forcing them to turn around, and the road was closed.
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell hosted a discussion where he invited residents to come out to talk about what can be done about the ongoing flooding.
Farrell said flooding safety measures are a priority moving forward.
He said short-term changes included ensuring the city sent alerts to neighbors as quickly as possible. The city has also implemented a new emergency route along Ritter Boulevard to help citizens exit the area safely.
As for the long term, Farrell said his administration will work with the county, state and federal partners to find ways to stop water from getting into Enslow Park.
“The way we do that is either with some kind of detention system or some kind of retention pond upstream,” Farrell said.
“I understand this problem at a really emotional level because these are people’s homes, and when they get flooded there’s real trauma that happens, and I don’t want to give everyone false hope that this is going to happen quickly,” he said. “Just know that it’s a top priority of mine, it’s a top priority of the administration and that we’re going to do everything we can to mitigate the problem as quickly as possible, and in the meantime, we just need to make sure everyone stays safe.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey provided an update on flood recovery initiatives.
Over 10,000 people across flooded areas are experiencing water service disruptions, he said. In addition, over 200,000 bottles of water have been delivered to those affected.
Additionally, Morrisey said three individuals, including a two-year-old boy, died due to flooding in McDowell County. One firefighter has also died.
Holly Belmont can be contacted at [email protected].
