Story by MetroNews reporters Carrie Hodousek and Jeff Jenkins
WINIFREDE HOLLOW, W.Va. — “Scary, very scary.”
That’s how Kanawha County resident Breanna Slack describes what happened Monday morning as she was getting her kids up out of bed in the family’s Winifrede Hollow home to go to school.
It was raining and she didn’t think there was anything unusual about the rain but then she looked outside and saw water coming over the banks of the creek (Fields Creek) and down the main road.
“I mean it came out of nowhere, so fast, I mean, it was scary, especially with three young kids,” Slack told MetroNews in her mud-soaked yard.
Breanna, her husband and their kids joined her brother and his wife and their three kids on the front porch of a neighbor’s home because that porch sits up higher.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen Winifrede flood and I’m 27-years-old. I’m just glad everyone is safe,” Breanna said.
Isaac Sparks lives just down the road, almost directly underneath a bridge on the West Virginia Turnpike. He too was getting his oldest son up for the first day of the new school week when he noticed water on the front porch of his mobile home.
“It come up quick–minutes it was rising—it came up feet,” Sparks said.
Sparks and his wife have three boys–5, 2 and 1. He was able to get his family out. He said it took only 20 minutes for water to get into his mobile home and knock it off its foundation.
Sparks lost almost everything he owned. His grandmother, Joan Bolser said, fortunately, it wasn’t his life.
“You can replace material things, but not a soul,” she said.
Unofficial rainfall totals have about 7 inches of rain in three areas in a narrow band from the Comfort area in Boone County, across the mountain into eastern Kanawha County and then across the Kanawha River along U.S. Route 60. Parts of Winiferde Hollow received approximately 3.7 inches of rain Saturday night. Officials said the already saturated ground could not handle the additional rain Monday.
Max Gottlieb lives on a hillside on Winifrede Hollow and was getting ready for work when the rain moved in. His home was severely damaged.
“It looked like a river flowing right beside my house. Our foundation is substantially removed,” he said. “There were large truck tires. There were hot water tanks. Somebody bought a new camper that is now up against a bridge. It’s fairly significant. There are people I’ve seen that had 2-3 feet of water and some closer to the mouth of this hollow had 4-5 feet.”
John Stout and Dustin Bostic were out surveying the damage nearby and said some homes were knocked off their foundations and cars were swept away. One tiny house was seen floating down the creek.
“It’s nasty,” Bostic said. “The water came up that high within 45 minutes.”
“It’s a mess. From the post office down this way–gone,” Stout said.
.@WVMetroNews making now to flooded out area pic.twitter.com/TgnUiJBT9Q
— Jeff Jenkins (@JeffJenkinsMN) August 28, 2023
Connie Alderman, a 27-year resident of Winifrede Hollow, made it out safely. She was taken to the mouth of the creek by a four-wheeler Monday morning.
“It was scary driving through because there’s some areas where the trees could come down at any second and people are trying to get out,” she said.
Alderman said the rain was “pounding” as headed she left her home. Not only did the creek levels rise, but there was also a lot of run off from the mountains.
“There’s water running off the hillsides everywhere into the road. Most people have water in their house. I was fortunate enough that that didn’t happen,” Alderman said.
One resident, Dakota, who lives in Chesapeake, said it was a scary situation.
“We woke up and there was water everywhere. Everything was flooded. No one could get a hold of their relatives and family. From what we’ve heard, they can’t get boats or vehicles up there to rescue anybody. It’s just a waiting game to see if everyone’s okay,” he said.
Dakota said he’s never seen the water rise this quickly.
“I’ve never even seen the water come out pass the underpass and up into the road like this. This is a first,” he said. “For several hours, it was just nonstop.”
Flooding was reported along Witcher Creek, Slaughter’s Creek, Kelley’s Creek and Fields Creek.
An elderly lady being pushed out of Winiferde Hollow by search and rescue teams pic.twitter.com/wfZkJ4IEso
— Jeff Jenkins (@JeffJenkinsMN) August 28, 2023
Shane Hudnall, state safety officer with the state Division of Highways, told MetroNews it’s an all hands-on-deck situation with a number of state agencies until the water recedes. They’re working with State Police, the American Red Cross, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, state Division of Natural Resources, FEMA and others to get everyone to safety.
“The first priority is to get teams to the locations to see if anybody is in need and then we’ll do our best to get the roads open when we can,” he said. “Highways personnel are going on the main roads and trying to unclog drains and ditches to get the roads passable.”
Some bridges have been impacted, but Hudnall said they’ll have to wait to assess the damage.
Runoff from heavy rain today has closed Winifred Road in eastern Kanawha County pic.twitter.com/PMcPSqrQqg
— Jeff Jenkins (@JeffJenkinsMN) August 28, 2023
Mudslides closed both lanes of US Route 60 in Belle and on the West Virginia Turnpike near Chelyan where the southbound right lane was closed Monday morning.
Marmet Mayor Dave Fontalbert said on Monday’s “580 Live” heard on MetroNews flagship station 580-WCHS in Charleston they didn’t get hit as bad as other nearby towns.
“We do have a flooding issue on the corner of Maryland and 87th Street, but all in all, we’re in pretty good shape,” he said. “We’re actually assisting some other communities in the upper Kanawha Valley.”
Former Kanawha County Del. Larry Pack, before announcing his candidacy for state Treasurer on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline” offered his thoughts to impacted residents.
“Just asking for prayers for all those folks who are affected and all our first responders here who are out in force who are trying to help alleviate the suffering. It’s a tough day in the eastern Kanawha Valley,” Pack said.
Gov. Jim Justice has called on the West Virginia National Guard to conduct swift water rescues and declared a State of Emergency in Kanawha, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, and Roane counties.
A Flash Flood Warning from the National Weather Service in Charleston remains in effect until 2 p.m. Monday for Chesapeake, Marmet and Belle.
Kanawha County Schools closed the following schools Monday due to the flooding including Riverside High, East Bank Middle, Dupont Middle and Carver Career and Technical Center. No water got into schools.
