By: Paige Madden | Posted: Feb. 25, 2018 | Source: WTRF
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. (WTRF) – Haley Litman lives off of 12th Street in Moundsville and said it is a huge relief to hear the expected river crest has significantly decreased.
“It is so stressful to have to wait. You’re just waiting for it to come, and when the prediction goes down, it’s a big stress off your shoulders,” said Litman.
Her house sits off the ground, but she put all of her important belongings in her garage up off the ground in case a nearby creek floods.
“It almost always floods. It flooded the last round. It came up pretty high, got into the yard in front of us about a third of the way,” said Litman.
She is not the only one keeping an eye on creeks and streams. Marshall County Emergency Management is as well.
Director Tom Hart says they are worried about flooding occurring in the middle of the night.
“If you get that flash flooding, the visibility won’t be as good and you also run the possibility of fog, the heavy downpours cutting down on visibility. You run the risk of driving into a flooded area and not even really noticing it until you’re already in it,” said Hart.
As a precaution, the West Virginia swift water rescue team was pre-deployed to Marshall County and is stationed at the armory.
They have 24 trained rescue technicians and nine boats on standby for any emergencies in the region.
“We’ve met with the local emergency managers. They know we’re here. They know our capabilities, and we’re in their pocket, per say, versus an incident happening and then they start calling and resources are two to three hours away,” said Kevin Clendenin, Fire Chief of the Clendenin Fire Department and part of the swift water rescue team.
National Guard swift rescue team is on standby in Marshall County! @WTRF7News pic.twitter.com/6NbWN4YOyd
— Paige Madden (@PMaddenWTRF) February 24, 2018
Officials are reminding residents to stay away from fast moving or rising water, and do not drive through any water that covers the road.
Flood stage is 37 ft. in Moundsville. The Ohio River is expected to crest at 38.9 ft. on Monday afternoon.
