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American Morning

West Virginians Assess Flood Damage

Aired July 10, 2001 - 09:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And now to West Virginia where officials say flooding from storms that hit the state caused well over $20 million in damage. In some towns in West Virginia, streets and entire buildings were simply washed away.

Our Jeff Flock reports from Fayette County, West Virginia.

Jeff, good morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's the Beckwith, West Virginia, Post Office floating down Laurel Creek.

And as Betsy Purdue (ph) tells it, that's not all.

BETSY PURDUE, WEST VIRGINIA RESIDENT: Boats and trailers and four-wheelers and animals and other houses and whatever, you name it, it was just coming down. It was scary.

FLOCK: Nothing scarier than Betsy's own home floating away. This is all that remains.

The rushing floodwaters, still powerful a day later, washed out railroad beds, upended cars, eroded so much of some roadbeds that you can now walk underneath the blacktop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The force of this water was totally unbelievable.

FLOCK: Those that stayed though it now flee with what they can carry, some wheeling their belongings in baby strollers or tightrope walking thin boards that replace bridges down or wrecked.

(on camera): This is one of the lucky bridges battered but unbowed. Still, it took the better part of a day until the misty dusk before they finished repairing the access road, which had been completely washed out.

(voice-over): That means the only way into some houses is up rutted wood's roads on ATVs.

This is the inside of Louise Williams' (ph) house.

LOUISE WILLIAMS, WEST VIRGINIA RESIDENT: Oh, I can't explain to you how I feel. I just feel like I've lost everything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK: Louise Williams, one of about 3,000 people, according to the governor, who have lost or had their homes damaged. About 1,000 National Guard troops are now on the ground here in West Virginia to help with the cleanup and keep things safe. And that cleanup is expected to take, according to the governor, months.

That's the latest from here, Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Jeff Flock in West Virginia, thank you.

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