Ted Potter Jr. hits his tee shot on the final playoff hole during the Greenbrier Classic PGA Golf tournament at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., Sunday, July 8, 2012.
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Ross said the flooding was the worst he’s seen in his 39 years in West Virginia.
The statement says the agency will give an update on rescue and response efforts Saturday morning.
The governor said 60 roads were closed, many of them destroyed, bridges were knocked out and homes were burned down and washed off foundations.
Along with responding to rescue emergencies, Kanawha County Sheriff spokesman Brian Humphreys said deputies were going to pharmacies to get medications for people affected by the flooding. The governor declared a state of emergency in 44 of 54 counties and authorized up to 500 soldiers to assist. CNN meteorologists said no more rain is expected until Monday.
Friday night, emergency workers finished building a temporary gravel road to allow all those stranded to exit, according to the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is asking federal authorities for a major disaster declaration to get help for the three counties in his state hardest hit by flooding.
The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs has been was inundated with floodwater after heavy storms rolled into the state Thursday.
“The house in front of where my apartment used to be is turned over”.
One of the dead included a 4-year-old boy who was found about a quarter mile from where he fell into a creek, which usually runs about ankle deep but rose to about 6 feet deep when Jackson County was pounded with 9 inches of rain in 16 hours. “My apartment is gone”.
The PGA Tour announced Saturday the Greenbrier Classic has been canceled due to historic flooding and rainfall in West Virginia.
“I weep for my people, I weep for the businesses”, she said.
Full credit: West Virginia Department of Transportation.
“Cancelling The Greenbrier Classic is certainly the most prudent course of action as our foremost concern is the well-being of those who are having to live through this tragic situation”, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a news release Saturday.
Professional golfer Bubba Watson was apparently visiting the resort and tweeted photos of entire holes underwater: “Prayers for @The_Greenbrier & surrounding areas”.
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Greenbrier owner Jim Justice has told MetroNews several times since the Thursday night flooding people’s lives were more important than the golfing event.
