PETERSTOWN, WV– Brush Creek and Rich Creek combined on the weekend of February 15 to cause flooding throughout Peterstown.
The heavy rain caused flood waters to flow down Market Street, which runs through town.
Mill Street was severely impacted, with the road washed out and the fence for the Red Sulphur Springs Public Service District Sewage Treatment Plant damaged.
Melvin Young is the Monroe County Commission President.
He told 59News that the flooding caused no disruptions at the sewage treatment plant. The road is now open for crossing.
“The head of the state road approached us and gave us a report. After that, an elderly lady entered, crying and upset because her road had been washed out – that is the power of being in a real community where people pull together – they had already worked on some things to fix,” Young explained.
The roads weren’t the only issue in the community. A service was scheduled at Broyles-Shrewsbury Funeral Home following the flooding. The only issue was that the building was prone to flooding.
“One thing that I found out with Peterstown is the power of the community,” says Young. “The community assisted in removing floodwaters and preparing the funeral home. Approximately 40 people from the community worked for two days in a row, and I am proud of them.
The Monroe County Commission declared a state of emergency in response to the flooding and related events. Young explained that this was to help with cleanup. He believes that cleaning the creeks will help discourage flooding in the future.
“The damage we sustained in our community was nothing compared to what they experienced throughout the Coalfields. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those people,” Young stated.
