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West Virginia flooding death toll rises to 26 people

The Kanawha County sheriff’s office said on Saturday that the body of a man was found in his house in the Clendenin area and two females were found in a home along the Elk River. Authorities say it is presumed the three drowned.

Rescue crews continue to work steadily, answering emergency calls from people still stranded by the fast-moving flood waters that hit the state Thursday night, killing at least 26 people in the deadliest flash flooding in the United States since 2010, reports CNN.

This latest flood event was the third deadliest on record for West Virginia, according to the West Virginia state climatologist Kevin Law. The Buffalo Creek flood in 1972 killed 125 people after a dam broke, and the 1985 flood (a combination of the remnants of Hurricane Juan and another storm), killed 38 people. These two flood events resulted in the deaths of more people, according to USA Today.


The high waters have been receding, but Kanawha County officials are warning people to be on the lookout for “flood debris, downed power lines, and downed trees.” Kanawha County Sheriff spokesman Brian Humphreys also said that deputies were going to pharmacies to pick up and deliver medications to people affected by the flooding.

The West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) tweeted that as of 9 a.m. Saturday, there were still 32,170 homes and businesses without power in the state. The DHSEM is also telling people that people who have registered as volunteers through VolunteerWV will be wearing identifying wristbands.

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We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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