Greenbrier County locals losing hope in future flood prevention

SAM BLACK CHURCH, W.Va. (WVVA) - Multiple Greenbrier County residents in the Sam Black Church area told WVVA they don’t see an end to seemingly-endless recurring floods.

Rain through Sunday night and Monday morning resulted in large amounts of damage to one man’s home, who added this week’s incident was far from the first to impact his home and belongings.

“You don’t have enough time when water comes in to grab your necessaries. When it’s there in, you’ve got to get out or you’ll get electrocuted,” said Ted Shafron. “Right now, it’s the middle of the month. I’ve already paid my bills. I don’t have it to clean my house.”

Shafron wasn’t the only local impacted either. Now, seven years after what the National Weather Service called a “1,000-year storm” devastated the area, others say they’ve lost hope in any future mitigation efforts.

“You can’t control the weather, and when it downpours such as it did this morning, it comes straight down through the hollers and valleys,” said Debra Coats. “There’s really nothing that can be done, not that I know of anyways.”

On Monday evening, Shafron welcomed representatives from the Red Cross and Greenbrier County to assess the damage to his home and property. He said he’d relied on charitable organizations and good Samaritans following previous flooding incidents.

He also asked for anyone looking to help, to reach out at (304) 392-9887