Athens, WV surprised by flood waters

8/17/2018 (Permalink)

Department of Highways begins repair on one section of a road closed due to flooding in Athens WV

Athens, WV residents are concerned but not surprised to hear about flooding in towns positioned near our southern Rivers (Greenbrier, New, Bluestone, and the Guyandotte).  But Athens isn’t located on the banks of a river so they never expected their town and areas surrounding them to experience “flooding” in May 2018.

So much rain fell in such a short period of time the ground could not absorb the amount of water fast enough to prevent flooding.  A total of 4.53 inches fell and 3.5 inches of that happened in less than an hour.

Ground water filled many homes and businesses and several roads were closed. Mud, rock, and debris were scattered along the highways in addition to some pavement being totally washed away making travel impossible.  

Severe weather can happen ANYWHERE – flooding is not always near large bodies of water - this small town is a perfect example.