West Virginia: state’s worst floods in a century

Doug May steers his boat across Frame Road, which was partially flooded, after rescuing Shawn Berry and Darcy Cochran from a parking lot in Elkview, West Virginia. (source: AP)

The state has experienced the worst flooding in more than a century. Many have died and hundreds more have been rescued from swamped homes, officials said on Friday.

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A vehicle makes a wake along the flooded Lower Oakford Ave. Friday, June 24, 2016, in Richwood, West Virginia. (source: AP)

The mountainous state was pummeled by up to 10 inches of rain on Thursday, causing rivers and streams to overflow. "The damage is widespread and devastating," Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said at a news conference. "Our biggest challenge continues to be high waters."

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Residents walk past an overturned car as the cleanup begins from severe flooding in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. (source: AP)

The hardest-hit area was Greenbrier County in the southeast of the state, said a spokeswoman. Government officials are focusing resources on rescuing those trapped or swept away by the flooding, he said, adding that some 66,000 residences are without power.

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Road signs signaling to US 119 along Frame Road in Elkview, West Virginia., are surrounded by flood waters. (source: AP)

Multiple rivers have risen to dangerous heights, including the Elk River, which reached 32 feet, the highest since 1888, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said. He declared a state of emergency in 44 of 55 counties and deployed 200 members of the West Virginia National Guard to help rescue efforts on Friday.

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Kathy Bostic, left, Lula Allen, center, and Mildred Hayes embrace outside of Bostic's home, which was destroyed form heavy rains and flooding, along Jordan Creek Road in Elkview, West Virginia. They all live along Jordan Creek road and have been dealing with varying levels of damage to homes and the road. (source: AP)

Though rivers were expected to crest by Friday night and the rescue and recovery effort is likely to last through the weekend, said Tim Rock, spokesman for the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

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Water rushes past a damaged car and into a chasm of exposed piping created by flood damage on Oarkford Avenue in Richwood, West Virginia on Friday. (source: AP)

West Virginia received one-quarter of its annual rainfall in a single day, National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira said. Rains eased on Friday.

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Jay Bennett, left, and step-son Easton Phillips survey the damage to a neighbors car in front of their home damaged by floodwaters as the cleanup begins from severe flooding in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. (source: AP)

The storms that drenched West Virginia were part of a severe weather system that swept through the U.S. Midwest, triggering tornadoes.

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