At least two West Virginians are dead, dozens of homes are damaged and communities across north central West Virginia are left picking up the pieces in the wake of another major flood.
Just a decade ago, a massive flood prompted state officials to dive into state coffers for relief money and set up an office dedicated to softening the blow of future floods. But so far, little has been done.
The flood of 2016 affected a wider area of the state and took nearly two dozen lives. Brendan Muckian-Bates, a policy advocate for the Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition, pointed to recent funding for the state鈥檚 Flood Resiliency Office as a small step in the right direction toward making strides in reducing the likelihood and impact of flooding.
But he said more needs to done. And more needs to be studied regarding the latest floods in north central West Virginia, particularly around Lewis and Upshur counties, which bore the brunt of the storm.
鈥淎 lot of the helpful recommendations included in the State Resiliency Plan are unfunded and act more as recommendations rather than policy,鈥� Muckian-Bates said.
The Flood Resiliency Office was the brainchild of the late House Speaker Tim Armstead, whose own community was severely impacted by flooding in 2016. The purpose of the office was to update and oversee implementation of a and left to collect dust on a shelf.
Like the flood plan, the Flood Resiliency Office languished for nearly a decade without its own dedicated funding. In 2025, after floods devastated McDowell County, House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, tried to force through a $50 million package from the state鈥檚 to fund the office.
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But in the 2026 session, Hornbuckle, working with the Republicans, was able to get $5 million for the office.
鈥淲e know that鈥檚 a drop in the bucket to speak to the issues that we have from an infrastructure standpoint to be better prepared for these emergencies,鈥� Hornbuckle said. 鈥淚t boils down to priority, right? Are we prioritizing people? Floods don鈥檛 care if you鈥檙e red, if you鈥檙e blue, if you鈥檙e straight, if you鈥檙e gay. They just don鈥檛. And so, are we prioritizing the people of West Virginia?鈥�
Since officials penned the original flood mitigation plan, the threat of flooding has increased in the state, as storms become more severe as a result of climate change. Right now, a quarter of essential structures, like fire stations, are at risk of flooding in the state.
Sen. Robbie Morris, R-Randolph, whose district includes Upshur County said flooding will be a priority for him.
鈥淭here will be major debriefing meetings after this event is brought to a close. Hopefully we can learn from any shortfalls that come in the system and how we can fill those gaps and make the system better when horrific events like this occur,鈥� he said.
Del. Jeff Stephens, R-Marshall, sits on the Joint Flood Committee, which consists of state senators and delegates. He said some measures to help prevent floods include repairing and updating existing dams and levees, constructing new dams and stream remediation, which consists of different projects like cleaning out debris to keep water in the river whenever it floods.
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 a lot of man hours, and I know it鈥檚 a lot of money. But let鈥檚 face it; I think it鈥檚 necessary,鈥� he said.
And more money is something lawmakers have contemplated. Del. David Green, R-McDowell, also sits on the flood committee. He said the committee has looked at proposals to put up to 65% of surplus money each year into flood resiliency.
In addition to the work outlined by Stephens, Green said he wants to see the state implement an updated early warning system.
鈥淚 would push for us and West Virginia Emergency Management to get serious research completed to find a workable system that would actually produce results, get it funded, and get it installed post haste,鈥� he said.
Morris and Stephens said they would be open to a special session to address the disaster, and flooding as a wider issue as well. Green said he doesn鈥檛 believe a special session is required because the governor has enough money in the to cover any unforeseen costs.
鈥淏ut I do feel that in the next session we must have flood mitigation and recovery as a priority,鈥� he said.
The spokesperson for Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, Ann Ali said there has been no indication that a special session regarding flooding would be called.
鈥淚 do not expect Speaker Hanshaw to press for any funding outside the usual budget process,鈥� she said.
The Governor鈥檚 Office didn鈥檛 return any request for comment regarding a special session or additional funding needs for flooding, nor did Senate President Randy Smith鈥檚 office.
This week, Gov. Patrick Morrisey on the Trump Administration to expedite disaster relief and funding for prevention.
In Washington, all four members of West Virginia鈥檚 Congressional delegation signed on to a letter to President Trump and FEMA .
When flash floods took eight lives in the Wheeling area last year, it took more than a month The Trump Administration , further exacerbating a backlog in recovery from natural disasters nationwide.
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