West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a statewide emergency across all 55 counties after catastrophic flooding devastated north-central regions Tuesday, prompting hundreds of rescue calls and the deployment of 100 National Guard troops to Lewis, Randolph, and Upshur counties.

Record Rainfall Triggers Life-Threatening Emergency

Powerful storms dumped over seven inches of rain across Upshur County in just six hours Tuesday afternoon, overwhelming communities and infrastructure. The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency with a Particularly Dangerous Situation designation—a rare classification reserved exclusively for the most extreme and life-threatening flood events. The warning remained active until 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time as water continued rising through neighborhoods.

First responders fielded hundreds of distress calls as floodwaters trapped residents throughout the region. The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources conducted at least 33 water rescues Tuesday alone. Interstate 79 remained closed near Weston early Wednesday as floodwaters submerged major transportation routes, cutting off communities from emergency services and supplies.

Buckhannon Residents Forced to Evacuate

The City of Buckhannon issued an immediate evacuation order early Wednesday for portions of the community facing rapidly escalating hazardous conditions. Sand Run creek near Buckhannon surged to unprecedented levels, rising more than eight feet in less than five hours. Preliminary river data shows the creek crested at 10.63 feet, shattering the previous record of 8.34 feet set during the catastrophic 1985 flood event that marked one of the region’s worst natural disasters.

Lewis County officials declared a local state of emergency after assessing widespread damage to public infrastructure, private property, roads, bridges, culverts, and utilities. The emergency declaration authorizes the Lewis County Office of Emergency Management to coordinate available local resources and request additional assistance from the West Virginia Emergency Management Division and potentially the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Coordinated Response Underway

Governor Morrisey issued a State of Preparedness earlier Tuesday ahead of the severe weather system. Officials continue responding to dozens of flooded homes and impassable roads across the affected counties. Authorities urge residents to avoid flooded roadways entirely and follow all evacuation orders and emergency instructions as the flood emergency continues developing. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported thus far, though officials warn conditions remain dangerous as assessment teams survey the full extent of the damage.