By: Carrie Hodousek | Posted: Jan. 22, 2018 at 12:01 a.m. | Source: MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than a year and half later, the West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster group is still helping hundreds of families recover from the June 2016 flood.
“We’re still building houses, we’re still building bridges and repairing. I think we still have a way’s to go, but we’ve came a long way too,” said Jenny Gannaway, executive director of West Virginia VOAD.
So far, the organization has closed 1,300 cases. There are still 700 families that need assistance.
Gannaway said certain counties are recovering slower than others due to lack of resources. The counties that need the most help, she said, include Clay, Fayette, Nicholas and Webster.
“The economy in Greenbrier County is a lot different than the economy in Clay County. You can recover a lot quicker in Greenbrier than you can in Clay, so when you look at situations like that, then you are going to need more help for families in those counties,” Gannaway said.
Counties that have minimal work left are Summers and Monroe.
The June 23, 2016 storm washed out parts of central and southeastern West Virginia and claimed the lives of 23 people.
Gannaway said knowing she’s able to help people get back on their feet makes it all worth it.
“When you have the families say ‘thank you’ and ‘I appreciate your help’ and you see the tears in their eyes of knowing they could not do that without the work that we are doing, that keeps you going,” she said.
Carrie Hodousek is a South Jersey native who joined the MetroNews staff in February 2015 as a Reporter/Anchor. Carrie can be reached at chodousek@wvradio.com and follow her on Twitter @carriehodousek.
