Multiple people missing and unaccounted for according to McDowell County official

MCDOWELL COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA) - Multiple people are missing and unaccounted for after heavy rain caused flooding in McDowell County on Saturday.

“We have several, I don’t know an exact number but we do have that,” said McDowell County Commissioner, Michael Brooks.

To add to that, the Welch Volunteer Fire Department posted on their Facebook page that units are looking for a silver Chevy Silverado last seen in the Tug Fork River.

There have been other unconfirmed reports by people in McDowell County that people went missing in the Havaco/Coney Island area after flooding swept through the area.

Brooks says first responders from local law enforcement and fire departments are still accessing areas and are trying to check up on people. He says many roads in the county are still not passable which is slowing their efforts down.

Crews from the West Virginia Department of Highways were seen in the Keystone area clearing roadways of mud.

“I’ve lived here all my life and everybody has been talking. We’re pretty sure this will definitely rise above the 1977 floods that we had in our county,” said Brooks. “I don’t know of an area in our county that’s not devastated.”

Brooks says the West Virginia National Guard has been called in and are working to help where possible.

WVVA was unable to make it to Welch on Sunday morning due to dangerous road conditions caused by mudslides on Route 52 and on Black Diamond Highway just past Gary.

WVVA will continue to follow flooding issues in McDowell County and other areas in the Two Virginias.

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