Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
West Virginia Grapples With Flood Devastation
Aired July 10, 2001 - 11:25 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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: In West Virginia, the floodwaters there are finally beginning to recede and now residents must face the devastation and the mud left behind after the water.
Joining us now from Fayette County, West Virginia is CNN's Jeff Flock -- good morning, Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Brian.
Yes, trying to give you a little slice of what has gone on here in West Virginia over the last several days. Perhaps you see right where we're standing, this is a bridge that was the access way into one of these homes. A lot of homes obviously separated from the road by a creek like this one, and those, of course, are the creeks that swelled and caused all the damage.
You can see that was the neighbor's house down the street. We just talked to him a little bit ago. Washed off its foundation and all the way back down here. I'm over here on the other side of the creek now with the Settle family and Jim Settle's been a lucky man here because his house is still standing up there.
JIM SETTLE, FLOOD VICTIM: Yes.
FLOCK: But you've got a lot of mess and your yard, don't you?
SETTLE: Just a little bit, but we'll straighten it out. It'll take time.
FLOCK: Now, you tell me that when this was all happening, you were standing out in the street at about...
SETTLE: I was in the road about knee deep water.
FLOCK: What possessed you to do that, sir?
SETTLE: Because I couldn't get into here. I went out to drive the Sunday school bus about 9:00 and the creek was like it is right now. I got back from three miles down the road and it was over on top of my 10 foot bridge.
FLOCK: Now, when we look, and maybe as we talk you can start to take a look out there and a look at all that debris, were you scared when this was happening? SETTLE: What was there to be scared of? I was over yonder.
FLOCK: Were you worried about your house?
SETTLE: No. It's just a house. As long as everybody's safe, I ain't worried about nothing else.
FLOCK: All the family is around you here and safe.
SETTLE: Here's my son, my granddaughter, my wife's here, everything, nobody got hurt. Lost a house and a trailer, but nobody got hurt.
FLOCK: Yes.
SETTLE: And that's the main thing.
FLOCK: How do you account for it sparing you and hitting the house, the next house down?
SETTLE: The grace of god. The grace of god, that's all I can say.
FLOCK: Before we get away, I've got to ask you, how long do you think it's going to take to clean all this up?
SETTLE: I figure two months I'll have it back. It just takes time. The main thing is somebody out there is real nice has got a dozer will send it down here, I'd appreciate it.
FLOCK: OK, one bulldozer. We'll put the order in for that, Brian, and if you know anybody, send it on down. There's plenty to do here in West Virginia, the hills of West Virginia, where the cleanup figures to continue for months to come -- back to you.
NELSON: Jeff, I was going to ask you a question just on that note. Is there any federal or state assistance offered these people?
FLOCK: Yes. In fact, we just ran into, I don't know, did you talk to, see those SBA folks and the FEMA folks? They were just here a little bit ago surveying, and, of course, this has not been declared yet a federal disaster area and that's what they're doing to make their report. So we'll see what the president does on that.
NELSON: All right, thanks, Jeff Flock in West Virginia.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
