CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Historic flooding has emergency crews and volunteer organizations doing everything they can, trying to help southern West Virginia. Aiden Taylor is an emergency liaison for voluntary organizations active in disaster. He said in nearly 10 years on the job, he’s never seen more requests for help.
“This has been one of the worst floods in West Virginia that I’ve seen,” Taylor said.
Erica Mani, regional CEO for the American Red Cross, said when cleaning out damaged homes, you need to be careful.
“If you’ve had food or beverages or medications that have been exposed to the floodwaters, you should probably throw that away. When in doubt, throw it out,” Mani said.
Mani said pumping water out of your home can be dangerous with potential damage to the structure and there are steps you can take when removing expensive items or appliances.
“It’s a good idea to pull your phone out and take photos of the damage. Even some furniture can be, you know, aired out, dried out, vacuumed out and cleaned thoroughly.”
Outside of providing shelters, clean-up kits and supplies, Mani said they’ve assessed damages for more than 900 homes.
“They’re determining what homes may qualify for financial assistance and additional case work, so we are, you know looking forward to being able to help with that financial assistance as soon as this week,” she said.
Mani said it’s been heartening to see West Virginia and voluntary organizations come together in hard times, and they will continue to help however they can.
The Red Cross and other organizations say if you need help cleaning out your home, you can call 211 to reach a call center and ask them what resources are available.
Aiden Taylor said you can visit their website to fill out a survey for assistance and the Red Cross has more tips on their website, as well.
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