Nearly everyone in West Virginia has been impacted as a result of last week’s unprecedented storms and subsequent flooding.  Some spots in West Virginia saw more than a foot of rain in a matter of hours.  The impact of the string of storms is staggering.  We’ve seen images which tug on our collective heartstrings, as some folks who had little in the way of worldly possessions now seek to move forward with even less.  As West Virginians, when we see our brethren struggling, our instinct is to charge in and help every way we know how. 

The problem with our instinct to help is that recovery efforts, which are not coordinated with emergency personnel, run the risk of impeding those personnel from performing their duties.  Even worse, Good Samaritans may find themselves in peril as many roads in flood-impacted counties remain impassable.  Long story short: don’t go “sightseeing” in impacted areas.  You run the risk of hurting yourself or others.   

So what do we do?  Those folks in Nicholas, Kanawha and Greenbrier Counties who were impacted by the flood are eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”).  Click here to apply online or call 1-800-621-FEMA to apply over the phone.  For those not directly impacted by the flood, you can make donations to The Red Cross, Union Mission, the Kanawha Charleston Humane Society, and Mountain Mission (among many others). While monetary donations allow professional organizations to adapt to changing needs on a daily basis, there is an active call for help to provide healthier varieties of non-perishable food and beverages, infant supplies, and pet products – particularly dry dog food. To that end, volunteers are in need of breaks.  If you are unable to give financially, please consider giving your time to relieve those people who have been working ’round the clock to help those in need.

There is no doubt that the flood’s aftermath will continue to present issues for people and businesses across West Virginia.  We do not know when the recovery effort will end, but we do know that we as a firm will be there to help. 

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Blogger: Will Swann
wswann@kaycasto.com

 

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