Flood threat subsides

“Christmas 1969 came in under a blanket of snow. New Years 1970—a week later – was ushered into the Mountain State under a deluge of rain.

For more than 48 hours, beginning December 30, the rains came. They washed the Christmas snow into stream beds until the swollen creeks and rivers left their banks, spilled over into usually dry flat lands. The Greenbrier River overflowed its bed and finally crested at around 15 feet at Alderson only hours before the New Year came literally floating in. This crest was about a foot above what is considered “flood stage”

Heavy rains closed some highways temporarily. An accident at Renick was reported when waters from the Greenbrier covered a section of U.S. Route 219, closing the highway traffic.

As southern West Virginia’s flood waters rushed to the Ohio River via the Kanawha Valley, hundreds of residents spent a “happy new year” shoveling mud from basements and, in some cases, first floor of their homes.

Local flooding damage was relatively according to a survey taken. Several more hours of rain however, could have meant a repeat of misery suffered from last fall’s hurricane and subsequent flooding.

The above photograph was taken Wednesday December 31, at the western bank of the Greenbrier River as waters raged downstream, but did not close the bridge spanning the river at Caldwell.”

“Record flooding along the Greenbrier River took a tragic took a tragic toll of lives and property as the rising waters wiped out portions of Caldwell, Ronceverte, Alderson, Renick and Marlinton. Four lives were lost in Pocahontas County to the raging river. Water eight feet high covered much of the down town area, and one person that “Marlinton was going to be a ghost town for a long time after this.” The river crested at 18 ½ feet, which is 8 ½ feet above flood stage.

The rising river Greenbrier backed Howards Creek into Caldwell, flooding almost all the homes on the south side of Rt. 60 there. Firewood, gas tanks, and much other debris floated into the brackish waters as residents watched their homes fill with water in shocked silence. In Ronceverte, City Manager Keith Brown termed the Monroe Avenue and River Oaks area “total losses”.

Hundreds of people evacuated by boat when floodwaters made roads impassible. Rescue efforts continued into the late afternoon Tuesday. Floodwaters reached as far as Main Street in Ronceverte. The Ronceverte substation of West Virginia Powered received major damage, according to Brown, causing a power outage that started Tuesday morning and continued areas as of press time today. Areas affected included all of Ronceverte, Caldwell, parts of Lewisburg and areas north, Crews were working to restore power, but no definite time for restoration was given.

The flood also contaminated Ronceverte’s water supply, leaving the city with good water only in tanks. Residents there are urgently requested to use drinking water as sparingly as possible until the pumping station and lines can be cleared.

The Greenbrier crested 10 feet above flood stage in Ronceverte at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

In Alderson, the river crested at a record 25 feet, 11 feet above flood stage disrupting travel and flooding homes and businesses along Route 63 in Alderson and further south toward Hinton.

In Renick, Mayor Betty Yates said that all of the homes near the bridge were either washed away or suffered extensive damage. The water crested there at 24 feet, 7 feet above flood stage. The bridge at Anthony washed away Tuesday by raging waters, lodged approximately two miles above the Greenbrier River Bridge at Caldwell, according to late report. 

Heroic efforts by rescue workers kept the death toll to zero throughout the flooded areas in Greenbrier County. No official estimates of property damage have been made, although the total could exceed 50 million.”   

Flooding Leaves Caldwell Church’s future uncertain

“CALDWELL – “God has been good to us,” said Frank Defibaugh, despite the fact that the church where he worshipped for the last 74 years has been destroyed by recent floodwaters. The future of the 94-year-old church, Caldwell Pentecostal Holiness, is unknown. While members await an engineering report, early estimates are that more than $200,000 in damage was caused by last month’s flash flooding. But the 60 or so parishioners have faith that God will provide. After all, said Cathy Neel, wife of pastor Michael Neel, “The church is not a building. The church is the people. And the people here have great faith.” Defibaugh’s wife, Anna, said floodwaters reached at least 10 feet inside the church, which is near the Greenbrier River on U.S. 60. She recalled the church flooding several times, including 1985 and 1972, but water never reached that high. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen,” she said. Frank quickly added the church calls the 1972 deluge the “Piano Flood,” because the waters flowed so fast it swept the piano away. “That was nothing compared to this one,” he said. “The water just came up so fast,” Anna added of the June flood. “We had no time to save anything; the water just came up so fast.” Inside the church, brownish watermarks still show where the flood crested. The rushing floodwaters swept pews away. Floodwater rose higher than the first floor’s window and doors. On the south side of the brick building, a 12-foot by 12-foot hole remains. Inside the hole is a reminder that the church once had a wooden outside. The entire backside, which is close to the river, is in shambles. The entire first floor — which consisted of two offices, four Sunday school classrooms, an auditorium and a nursery — is gone. Caldwell Pentecostal Holiness completed a detailed renovation in 2015, including new pews, members said. The church has experienced a few break-ins since the June flooding, said Neel. However, she believes the culprits are just seeking a look inside. “I don’t know why they want to see the inside,” she said. For Frank Defibaugh the latest flooding and uncertain future of the church is heartbreaking. This is the church his aunt, Pearl Wickle, helped found in 1920. It is the church where family members played key decision-making roles, where preachers like Roy Quesenberry, Brother Daughtery and Russel Spence influenced his life. What’s next for the congregation depends on that engineering report. The Defibaughs believe a new church will need to be built. Too much damage, they said of the nearly century-old structure. If $200,000 is needed for repairs, said Neel, that “is far beyond anything” the small, mostly elderly congregation can afford. Even if the church can be saved, Anna has a bad feeling the flooding isn’t over. “I am afraid it [flooding] will happen again,” she said. A short distance down U.S. 60 from the church, the power of the flood is obvious. The water moved so fast with such force that it completely rerouted several streams and moved mounds of earth, giving credence to Anna’s worries. Despite the destruction of their church, Neel said the congregation is in good spirits. Members of Caldwell Pentecostal Holiness are currently meeting in the town’s former Presbyterian church until a decision is made on how to move forward. But, both the Defibaughs and Neel said, the church will move forward. “We’re hoping the church can stay in Caldwell,” said Neel. “If we lost the church, I don’t know how the community would fare.” “Our church is the light in this community,” Anna said. The community of Caldwell was devastated by the flooding; nearly two dozen homes were destroyed or deemed uninhabitable. One man was found lifeless near his backyard. A large section of U.S. 60 was washed away. Anna said the town is doing very well, but the recovery efforts are slow. Some residents of Caldwell have expressed disappointment over the response and lack of media coverage directed toward the town. For Neel, whose husband became pastor five weeks before the flooding, the natural disaster shows the values of the Caldwell community. When the town was receiving little attention, the citizens took it upon themselves to help one another. “We had to take care of ourselves. But to see that outpouring, to see the people coming together ...,” she started to say, but could not finish the sentence as emotions took over.” 

Small town of Caldwell, WV

Devastated by Last Week’s Flood

“CALDWELL, Va. (WSET) - For the last several days, there's been images of destruction and despair through 3 different West Virginia Counties. But folks in Caldwell say they haven't got much media attention even though their small town was devastated. Many here have put their own personal needs and grief aside to spread faith and love to others in need. Dozens of people set up shop at a local business to make sure no one in this small community was forgotten. Some brought hundreds of meals worth of food and they spent their own money to do it. Others just brought two hands and a can-do attitude. "We've been in White Sulphur Springs since Friday morning trying to help anyone who needs help moving the furniture out, cleaning mud," said church member of Caldwell Pentecostal Holiness Church, Margaret Dodd. "Everything we do here is for God “After members of this church lost everything, they opened their parsonage for residents to pick up donated supplies like food, water, and personal care items. Dodd has been leading the effort, even as she tries to come to terms with her own loss. "I lost my mom about a month ago, so now my father has lost his house," Dodd explained. But she says her faith keeps her moving. "Letting people come in and be able to worship when they're hurting so bad has meant more than anything else I think," Dodd said. Showing everyone what it means to be Caldwell Strong."We need some outside help, but at the same token, we take care of ourselves," Dodd said. Volunteers say they continue to get truckloads of donated supplies. Those serving say their faith has kept them strong even as they themselves try to process this tragedy.”

Flood Stories 2016

Shannon Beatty and Chastity Patrick: Caldwell

“Shannon Beatty and her husband, David, and her sister Chastity Williams and her husband Kevin, have been working day and night, helping their father clean up the flood damage at his home on 4th Street in Caldwell.

The evening of the flood, Shannon and David travelled to Caldwell help her father, Jerry Patrick, clear out his house and evacuate his home. What they didn’t realize was, he and two neighbors were trapped in the basement.

“I couldn’t find Dad. I was frantic,” Shannon said. She found her father’s dogs, Shadow and Marlow, and with David’s help, lifted them over the chain link fence that encircled her father’s yard.

“I was watching as Dad’s neighbor’s trailer was submerged in water. I didn’t realize Dad and his neighbors were trapped in the basement. They were trying to get the washer and dryer up the steps. David went out back and he heard them banging on the door. The washer and dryer were blocking the steps, and the water was holding the door shut.”

David managed to pry open the basement door. By then, the water was so high in the yard she said, they had to lift Jerry over the fence because the front gate wouldn’t open.

“Dad said he needed his medication. So we went back into the house. I could hear the water rushing under the house and see it swirling out the window. There was water shooting out of the toilet and out of the bathtub and sink. I was screaming at David, ‘We need to get out of here!’”

They left without the medicine. Later, they found out a neighbor had grabbed it.

“Then, we just stood around the Presbyterian church, in shock, watching the water rise,” she said.

The aftermath has been rough. “I can’t sleep. Dad is distraught,” she said. “He’s on a fixed income. He’s worried about the $70 of groceries he bought Thursday morning.”

“My whole family lives down there (in Caldwell),” she said.

When they first returned Friday morning, she said she didn’t know where to begin cleaning. Then, David said, “Let’s try to dig the driveway out.” Soon, other friends and family members showed up and began to clean up the mud.

“It kept us going,” said Shannon. One area woman, Kimberly Johnson, travelled through the neighborhood with a wagon full of food and snacks, handing them out to the people shoveling out.

“She was like an angel of mercy to me,” said Shannon.

Shannon’s sister, Chastity Williams, and her husband, Kevin, worked hard to clean and repair Patrick’s house. Chastity deflects the attention, and instead looks to all the volunteers who helped to clean up in Caldwell. “ I was truly grateful for complete strangers and people coming together to help each other. Our community – everyone is family to me – and I’m glad we all pulled together,” she said.

“We spent three whole days shoveling mud and finding more damage,” said Shannon of her father’s house. The basement was full of mud and flood debris, including tires, log cabin beams, tents and furniture that had washed into the room during the deluge.

“I never imagined that I’d see the floor again,” said Shannon.

Today, Jerry is back at home, but Shannon is worried about the long-term effects of the flood on Caldwell. Still, she is proud of her community.

“The community will never be the same,” she said, for better or for worse.”

Heather Smith 

“Heather Smith lives along Howard Creek, which flows into the Greenbrier River in Caldwell, W.Va.

“We were just having a normal day, the rain was hard. We’ve had it come up to the bank a lot, but it started rising rapidly. Within an hour, hour and a half, it was all the way up to our driveway and we literally were like 10 minutes ahead of the water,” recalled Smith. “We literally only had like 10 minutes before the water came down through this way and wiped everything.”

“The only way we we’re keeping ongoing right now is family and the community and friends and everybody is so supportive,” continued Smith.

Smith said the man who lived across the street from her died in the flooding. He leaves behind a wife and seven children.”