The Extra Effort: West Virginia severe storms, flooding, mudslides and landslides 60 days later

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia has taken significant steps toward recovery following the storms and flooding, that occurred Aug. 28-30, 2023.

Recovery takes the Whole Community. Affected communities and disaster survivors are repairing and rebuilding better, stronger and safer. This effort is possible with the help of neighbors, friends, family members, voluntary groups, faith- and community-based organizations and local, county, state and federal governments.

The following highlights recovery progress made in the 60 days since the Jan. 30 presidential disaster declaration and how disaster survivors and affected communities are overcoming challenges:

• Survivors in five (5) counties – Boone, Calhoun, Clay, Harrison and Kanawha – were immediately eligible to apply for help under FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) program. 
• On Feb. 27, local, county and state government infrastructure and certain private nonprofit organizations in three (3) counties – Harrison, Kanawha and Roane – became eligible to receive funding through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program to repair and rebuild certain eligible disaster-damaged facilities. Thirteen (13) projects are in development for state and local entities covering a range of public works from sewers and utilities to road repair and debris removal. 
  • The PA program benefits everyone in the affected communities because essential services like roads, utilities, schools and hospitals are often restored stronger than they were before the disaster. FEMA relieves burdens of local and county governments and the state by paying 75 percent of the eligible costs. 
• More than 600 West Virginia households have contacted FEMA for IA help. 

To date, survivors have received more than $2.2 million in federal disaster assistance for a variety of recovery purposes. 

• More than $2.1 million in grants has been approved to make essential repairs for homes to be safe, secure and functional and for a place to stay for homeowners and renters whose residences were uninhabitable. 
• More than $109 thousand in grants has gone to homeowners and renters to repair and replace certain household items and for disaster-related burial, medical and dental expenses. 
• More than $770 thousand of the $2.2 million in grants approved was the result of follow-up communications from FEMA staff.
• At more than $7,600, West Virginians received nearly double the national average of disaster grant awards.
• Homeowners, renters and businesses have received more than $154 thousand in low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to repair, rebuild and replace damaged property and contents. Disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other sources.
• NFIP policyholders have received more than $76 thousand in claims to repair and rebuild flood-damaged property. 

Disaster recovery officials interacted with survivors in a variety of ways to help them recover: 

• Nearly 700 survivors visited the six (6) Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs). The first three centers opened within days of the presidential disaster declaration. 
• As of April 1, 575 FEMA housing inspections have been completed. 
• Teams of FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance specialists visited 2,800 residences in all five disaster counties to encourage more than 1,000 survivors to register for help, provide recovery information and listen to their concerns. 

Whole community partners continue to collaborate to find solutions to enable West Virginia’s recovery and will be here as long as it takes.

For more information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit emd.wv.gov, West Virginia Emergency Management Division Facebook page, www.fema.gov/disaster/4756 and www.facebook.com/FEMA.