One-Year After Deadly Feb. 15 Floods, McDowell County Focuses on Recovery

One year after torrential rains and snowmelt sent the Tug Fork River over its banks and killed three people, state officials announced $9.5 million in Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization grants and unveiled a proposed SENTRY flood-warning pilot for southern West Virginia. Governor Patrick Morrisey said, "On Sunday, we remember the lives lost one year ago in the devastating flood that struck McDowell County and forever changed that community." He added the state is focused on protecting communities through earlier alerts and infrastructure work.

Eyewitnesses in McDowell recall an early-morning surge of water. Ed Evans, a former lawmaker and McDowell County School Board member, told MetroNews, "It just would not quit raining. It was a train coming right at us." Evans said the storm "started at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025" after "more than four inches" of rain; by that night the Tug Fork River, Elkhorn Creek and several streams were overflowing.

The human toll centers on a vehicle swept into the Tug Fork in Welch. Yahoo named the deceased as Donald Eugene Griffin, 69, and Deborah Griffin, 69, both of Welch; a 2-year-old male passenger later was found in the river at Hunting Shirt Bottom in Davy, about 10 miles from the truck’s location. Two female juveniles escaped from the truck, Yahoo reported.

Rescue crews worked through the first 48 hours. Division of Natural Resources law enforcement and local volunteer fire departments conducted more than 30 rescues along the Tug Fork, and Welch Fire Department members were in the river attempting to help people, McDowell County Commissioner Michael Brooks said: "It happened right below my house. I heard the people screaming. Welch Fire Department guys were in the river trying to help. There were grown men in tears saying, 'I tried.'" More than 50,000 people lost power in the episode and power was off for days in many areas.

The $9.5 million in AMLER funding will support five water and sewer projects in McDowell and neighboring Mingo County, targeted to sites near mines closed prior to 1977. WOAY reported project allocations of $2.75 million for Davy's first centralized wastewater system; more than $2 million for Jolo to install 60,000 feet of waterline and extend service to 119 new connections including five businesses; $1 million for Gary to strengthen its sewer system; $2.5 million for Elkhorn Creek to extend public water to about 280 customers, including Ashland Resort; and $1.26 million for Kermit in Mingo County to replace a failing water tank. Morrisey said, "Water and sewer systems may not be flashy, but they are essential."

Local officials say recovery is incomplete. MetroNews reported that flooded areas are "better than they were a year ago, but officials say they still need help and will probably never be fully recovered." Gary Town Recorder Gary Barber, standing inside a flood-damaged city hall, said, "I’ve never seen this much water. I was born in 1963 and I think this was just as bad as the 1977 flood."

State leaders emphasized minutes of warning matter. Morrisey said, "As we honor those we lost, we are also focused on protecting our communities in the future. That is why we are working to implement SENTRY, a new flood warning initiative designed to provide earlier alerts and give families critical time to get to safety." MetroNews recorded the Feb. 15, 2025 start time from an eyewitness, while some reports characterized the floods as occurring on Valentine’s Day and one account used a different regional death toll; the detailed casualty reporting with names and locations lists three fatalities in McDowell County.