MERCER COUNTY, WV (WOAY)—While the flooding in Mercer County was not as severe as in McDowell, Mingo, and Wyoming, there was major damage in the western parts of the county.
“We have approximately six homes destroyed in the county. Our damage was widespread to the Matoaka area of our county, the Montcalm area of our county, and some of the Kellysville, Oakvale area,” explained Keith Gunnoe, Emergency Management Director for Mercer County. “We did have some road issues that the Department of Highways has mostly corrected at this point. One major hillside slip on Route 112 that’s going to be months and months because it was pretty major.”
Both Spanishburg and Oakvale elementary schools were the hardest hit in the county. This was due to the flooding of the Blue Stone River and East River, with Blue Stone recorded at over 20 feet of water.
Oakvale experienced flooding in four of its classrooms, and Spanishburg experienced flooding in around a third of its building, including its new gymnasium.
“Sad to say, but just two years ago, we put in a new hardwood floor, Spanishburg school that was much needed, probably 20 years coming that that got ruined by the flood,” said Tom Adkins, Director of Facilities at Mercer County Schools. “They got enough water into the school, and it got in and under the gym floor. I finally was able to reach the school on Monday morning, and I tiptoed down the hallway. Unfortunately, when I opened the door and at that point in time, the tears started with the principal. And it was it was a big loss.”
They’re still in the process of cleaning and assessing the damage to them. However, there was very minimal effect on instruction this past week.
This week, they plan to meet with the insurance company and talk to FEMA about repair costs. While there’s a long road ahead, the community is coming together.
“It’s just resiliency. Anytime there’s a disaster, especially in those two communities that are very community-driven, the Spanishburg and Oakvale areas alike,” explained Adkins. “It was hard for us to keep them [the teachers] Out there long enough cause they were there trying to help, trying to get back to their rooms, trying to make sure that they were going to have the things they needed to take care of kids and which, I mean, speaks volumes for our students and our faculty, because they really care.”
