West Virginia flash flooding death toll rises to 8 as communities continue cleanup

Waters begin to recede in West Virginia after deadly flooding

FOX News Multimedia Reporter Asher Redd reports from Wheeling, West Virginia, where the search continues for people who went missing during deadly flooding.

WHEELING, W.Va. – Cleanup and recovery efforts are underway in Ohio and Marion counties in West Virginia after deadly flash floods killed at least eight people over the weekend.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday that the death toll had risen to eight, all in Ohio County. A search is ongoing for one person who remains missing. The names of six of the victims were released by Ohio County officials Monday afternoon. 

Gov. Patrick Morrisey told FOX Weather that the mountainous terrain around Wheeling exacerbated the impact of floodwaters.

"A lot of rain came within arguably 30 to 45 minutes," Gov. Morrisey told FOX Weather meteorologists Stephen Morgan and Marissa Torres on Monday. "That's hard for any place to deal with, but with the topography in that area, it makes a normal situation get very severe and dangerous quickly."

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The state's National Guard is assisting with recovery efforts, and those impacted are being asked to document damage to their homes in order to qualify for potential aid from FEMA.

The exact nature of how the flood deaths occurred has not been released. Officials confirmed that a 26-year-old mother and her 3-year-old daughter were among the victims. 

A Flash Flood Emergency was issued for Ohio County late Saturday night and into Sunday morning by the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh.

Wheeling mayor says recovery process has started after deadly West Virginia flooding

Dennis Magruder, mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia, says teams are working around the clock to help the town recover from a devastating flood that killed at least six people over the weekend.

A quick burst of 3-5 inches of rain soaked the mountainous area near Wheeling and caused Wheeling Creek to rise nearly 7 feet to flood stage within just a few hours, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

Ohio County officials said more than 20 vehicles had to be removed from the creek Monday.

Significant flooding was also reported in the town of Triadelphia, where five of the victims lived, as well as the village of Valley Grove.

"Pure devastation," Morrisey said, regarding flood damage in Triadelphia at a Monday news conference.

Flash floods cause partial apartment building collapse in Fairmont, West Virginia

Video from Tuesday, June 17, 2025 shows the damage left behind by floodwaters which caused an apartment building to partially collapse on Sunday in Fairmont, West Virginia.

A little more than 300 people were still without power in Ohio County as of Tuesday afternoon, according to an update from the governor. Some 1,200 power accounts were restored Monday.

They said water service was restored to Valley Grove after floodwaters knocked out service over the weekend.

'Water gushing out windows': Eyewitness reacts to apartment building collapse during West Virginia flooding

Colyn Jones lives just 500 feet from where an apartment building partially collapsed during catastrophic flooding in West Virginia on Father's Day Sunday. Jones spoke to FOX Weather's Haley Meier about what he witnessed. 

Fairmont apartment building partially collapses amid flooding

A separate Flash Flood Emergency was issued on Sunday for Marion County, some 90 miles south of Ohio County, where an apartment building partially collapsed in the city of Fairmont. No injuries were reported.

There were 20 water rescues in Marion County, and some 61 people who were living in the apartment building have been displaced, according to the governor.

Colyn Jones, a neighbor who lives next to the building, told FOX Weather that water began pouring through the windows of the building's first floor before it collapsed.

"It was shocking. It was like a mountain-fall when it happened," Jones said. "It swept out the whole bottom of it," Jones explained, regarding the strength of the floodwaters.

The governor said there were reports of a lot of water both on the roof and the first floor of the building. An investigation into the collapse is ongoing.

More disturbed weather ahead for West Virginia

The FOX Forecast Center said more rain will continue to fall across the flooded area through Thursday. 

West Virginia is under a Level 1 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms through Thursday, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.

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