After 10 inches of rain fell in an 8-hour period, from June 23 to 24, the majority of of West Virginia’s 55 counties were under a state of emergency and a federal disaster declaration was given to three counties, Kanawha, Greenbrier and Nicholas.
In describing the damage, Greenbrier County Sheriff Jan Cahill told Weather.com that the flooding had caused roads and bridges to be destroyed, and homes and businesses to be washed off their foundations.
In addition, he said that multiple sections of the highway were just missing. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” Cahill said. In fact, the National Weather Service called the rainstorms a “one-in-a-thousand-year event.”
Now the Red Cross in Maine is deploying several volunteers to the most flood-ravaged areas, including Kathleen Coughlan, of South Portland, who is a mental health volunteer and psychiatric nurse.
She will join more than 370 other Red Cross volunteers who are supporting shelters and providing meals, relief supplies, health services and emotional and mental health support.
Preliminary reports indicate that upward of 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, the Red Cross said in a press release. And, even as of last week, many areas were still inaccessible.
So far, the Red Cross has served more than 40,000 meals and snacks, and distributed more than 61,000 relief supplies including cleaning supplies and comfort items. Red Cross caseworkers are also meeting with families to help them plan their next steps.
And that’s where Coughlan comes in. It’s her job to help those affected by the flooding to cope with their loss.
“Many people have lost their homes, loved ones and even their pets. In a situation like this people are thrown out of their ordinary routine and things change so drastically and quickly,” she said.
“I’m basically just there to listen,” she added. Those volunteers providing counseling also try to “stress resilience and let people know ‘you can get through this.’”
Coughlan was not sure where she would be posted, but said a disaster response posting generally lasts about 10 days and volunteers are sent to shelters or out to neighborhoods to seek out people needing help.
Coughlan has volunteered with the Red Cross since 2011 and has been deployed three other times. Once to Portland, Ore., for flooding, once to Peoria, Ill., for a tornado and once to Colorado for wild fires.
Coughlan said she began volunteering for the Red Cross after retiring because she had time on her hands and wanted to give back. “I thought the Red Cross would be a good fit and I like working as part of a team,” she said.
Although responding to a disaster area can be emotionally difficult, Coughlan said knowing “I’m making a difference gives me a good feeling.”
A closer look
To help out the victims of the recent devastating flooding in West Virginia, donate online at www.redcross.org call 1-800-733-2767 or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Ten inches of rain caused devastating flooding in much of West Virginia on June 23 and 24.
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