Upshur and Lewis counties are set to receive $4.5 million in initial federal assistance after last month’s devastating flooding.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Monday that President Trump approved West Virginia’s disaster declaration request for those two counties that were particularly ravaged by July 21’s floodwaters. Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to evaluate applications from five other West Virginia counties requesting assistance.

“I spoke to President Trump this (Monday) afternoon and thanked him for acting quickly to approve this request and deliver help to the people of West Virginia,” Morrisey said in a release. “Families in our hardest-hit communities have endured tremendous hardship, and this expedited approval will provide critical assistance as they begin the difficult process of rebuilding their lives.”

“This is an important first step,” Morrisey continued. “Approximately $4.5 million is available now, and we expect that amount to grow as additional damage information is reviewed.”

The funding will be distributed to eligible homeowners and renters in Upshur and Lewis counties.

West Virginia’s two U.S. Senators, Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, commended the announcement in X posts.

In Lewis County, more than 200 homes were impacted by the flood waters. Lewis County Office of Emergency Management Acting Director H. Keith Talbert said “47 or 48” homes have been destroyed.

Talbert said they have identified a spot for FEMA workers to operate from in the county. He said they have some cleaning supplies and water stored at the Market Place Mall site and are looking for another facility to store building materials and furniture.

“We need a drop site where people can donate furniture, bedding, and construction equipment,” Talbert said. “We’re looking for a site or a warehouse we can do that in so people can come and get plywood, 2 x 4s, insulation, or anything people want to donate.”

Talbert said there are six families who suffered extensive damage to the point they have no place to go. A national company has agreed to provide living spaces for six of those families for the next 30 days.

“A national company donated six of their properties to these families to at least give them a place to rest until they can work on insurance or other means to find a future home,” Talbert said.

In Upshur County, 1,200 damage assessments have been turned in to the Office of Emergency Management. Director Steve Wykoff said they are still going out into the field to assess damage and make sure they have accurate numbers.

The 1,200 surveys don’t reflect calls for help or assistance, but they are a description of the level of property damage. Some of the surveys have been prepared and submitted online, while some of the data have been collected through field visits.

“We did have 13 homes that were destroyed, we had 92 homes that sustained major damage, we had 440 homes that sustained minor damage, we had 376 that were affected, and 48 were inaccessible,” Wykoff said.

Wykoff said the numbers could go up, but by mid-afternoon on Monday there were zero reports to record.

“Nobody has submitted anything as of yet today,” Wykoff said. “Which means that hopefully people have all filled out the survey that were affected by the storms.”

Traffic at the West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) distribution center dropped off dramatically in recent days. The supplies will be moved from that location due to slower traffic and the start of the fall semester at WCWC. Wykoff said there are opportunities for churches, fire departments, or civic groups to stage these supplies in the county closer to where they are needed.

“That could get additional supplies and stage them at those buildings throughout the county to make it a little easier for outlying community members to get the supplies,” Wykoff said.

Wykoff is using the surveys, site visits, and information from residents to accurately document damage throughout the county. The information is being collected in the flood zone and forwarded to the state for submission to the federal government.

“We’re using the data and pictures from the surveys to support the fact that we would like that federal disaster declaration to be signed,” Wykoff said. “We’re passing that up to the state, and the state is sending it to the federal government.”