In West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey has sent a letter to President Trump and has spoken with the Trump administration to request a major disaster declaration for the state.
U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Jim Justice, R-W.Va., along with U.S. Representatives Carol Miller, R-W.Va. and Riley Moore, R-W.Va. also sent a letter to President Trump and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Regional Administrator Lilian Hutchinson in support of Morrisey’s request.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is seeking a second federal disaster declaration for Southwest Virginia.
In McDowell County, the county courthouse and county offices were closed Wednesday, but recovery efforts were still underway.
During a briefing about the ongoing recovery efforts, members of the McDowell County Commission and a state delegate urged residents to fill out a damage survey form. The goal is to provide FEMA with information which will help determine whether there will be a disaster declaration bringing federal assistance to the flood zones. The Feb. 15 flood is being called the worst in the county’s history.
Delegate David Green, R-McDowell, urged flood victims to complete a damage survey form.
Links to the survey form can be found on the McDowell County Commission, Mercer County Commission and Mercer County Office of Emergency Services Facebook pages. The form is not an application for assistance, but it helps with recovery efforts. People who need help filling out the form can call 211 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
West Virginia residents can also reach the damage assessment form by searching for WVEMD Preliminary Damage Information Severe Weather 2025 on the internet. This search takes users to the West Virginia Emergency Management website.
“It is really critical for everybody in McDowell County to fill that out,” Green said of the form. “You’ve got to be able to get that information. That helps FEMA to truly understand how significant this is.”
Widespread losses of power, phone and internet services in McDowell County are a problem for people wanting to fill out the damage survey, but door-to-door volunteers are being recruited to help residents with those problems and those who have trouble navigating the internet.
“We do know that there are many of our residents who do not have power and who do not have cell service right now and don’t have internet,” Green said. “So in the next few days we’re going to try and get teams out to different houses to be able to do physical hardcopy forms: however, we would love for the community to step up and help.”
Green said a flood hotline had been established. Residents with any non-life threatening emergencies can call 888-929-4966. People wanting to volunteer can call this number, too.
Callers are given Option 1 for people needing assistance and Option 2 is for people wanting to volunteer or make donations.
Residents of Mercer County and other areas impacted by the Feb. 15 flood are also being asked to fill out damage surveys to improve chances for obtaining federal assistance.
In Mercer County, communities such Lake Bottom and Spanishburg suffered flooding when the Bluestone River and tributaries overflowed their banks.
“Basically I want the residents to know if you have impacts to your home, we need to know about that,” said Keith Gunnoe, director of the Mercer County Office of Emergency Management. “Over the course of the next several days I’ll be out in the county trying to identify visually homes that have damage.”
The West Virginia State Police has been using drones in Mercer County and other areas to help assess flood damage, but more information is needed, he said.
“We need to know if you have flood damage,” Gunnoe said. “It’s hard to identify damage by driving up the roadway. If you have damage and want to report that damage and you’re unsure how to use that survey app, my office number is 304-487-8448. Feel free to call and leave a message on my phone in my office. I’m in and out of this office.”
© 2025 the Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, W.Va.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
