West Virginia’s First Responders Left Vulnerable as Flood Risks Mount

In the heart of West Virginia’s northern panhandle, the devastating June storms brought more than just passing rain—they exposed glaring vulnerabilities in the state’s emergency response infrastructure. In Triadelphia, Fire Chief David Patterson watched helplessly as rushing floodwaters blocked access routes and inundated his own fire station, destroying decades’ worth of equipment and threatening the very lifeline meant to protect the community. This tragic scene is far from isolated. Nearly one-third of West Virginia’s fire departments face moderate-to-high flood risk annually. The state's mountainous terrain, coupled with environmental scars from strip mining and timbering, makes flooding an ever-present danger—one that...