Flash Flood, Greenbrier
- When
- June 23, 12:00 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
- Where
- Greenbrier County, 1.02 mi S of Rainelle to 0.79 mi NW of Quinwood
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Deaths
- 16 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $40 million
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 37.955, -80.782
Unprecedented flash flooding occurred across large parts of Greenbrier County but especially in a swath across the central part of the county where an estimated 6 to 10 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours. The first flood-related report was received at 100 PM EDT (1200 PM EST) as a portion of Highway 20 in western Greenbrier County became impassable south of Quinwood due to a mudslide and debris in the road. By 130 PM (1230 EST) there were several reports of flash flooding in the community of Rupert which required the evacuation of a nursing home and a vehicle rescue. Portions of Route 60 were closed between Rainelle and Rupert and severe flash flooding occurred along Big Clear Creek, a tributary of the Meadow River just north of Rupert. A number of homes of homes were badly damaged or destroyed along Big Clear Creek and several water rescues required in the Rupert area. The first flooding reports out of Rainelle in far western Greenbrier County were received at 155 PM (1255 EDT) and described people being trapped in cars and numerous water rescues. Several creeks emerge from the higher terrain surrounding Rainelle and converge in or near the town (Wolfpen Creek, Boggs Creek, Little Sewell Creek), the largest of which is Sewell Creek which then joins the Meadow River just northeast of town. The IFLOWS gage on the Meadow River near Hines (HNEW2) rose rapidly above its Flood Stage of 14 feet by 200 PM EDT and reached Major Flood Stage of 18 feet just two hours later, shortly before it ceased functioning at a stage of 18.8 feet while still rising. Flooding along the Meadow River was extensive with numerous homes and businesses affected. In addition, the rising Meadow River prevented Sewell Creek in Rainelle from discharging into the Meadow River which likely contributed to the rapidly rising water levels in Rainelle. Flooding was catastrophic in the town with water up to 8 feet deep or more and numerous homes flooded. There were four fatalities in Rainelle and three in Rupert, all due to asphyxiation (drowning).
Meanwhile, numerous flood reports continued to be received although the 911 center and Emergency Management were completely overwhelmed with calls. The Greenbrier County Sheriff described 'complete chaos' across the county in a media report as dozens of roads were closed, damaged or destroyed and many water rescues were made from cars and structures. Especially hard hit was the White Sulphur Springs area in the eastern part of the county. Several small streams also descend rapidly from higher surrounding terrain and converge in or near White Sulphur Springs including Dry Creek and Wades Creek which join Howard Creek in the town, which itself is a large tributary of the Greenbrier River. All were transformed into raging torrents which tore through parts of the town taking trees, cars and even homes downstream. One of the more horrifying images was of a burning home being carried downstream on Howard Creek before colliding with a bridge. This creek runs through portions of the famous Greenbrier Resort and images of the normally tranquil stream converted into a massive river covering portions of the golf course were widely shared on social and conventional media. Howard Creek flooded long stretches of U.S. Highway 60 downstream of White Sulphur Springs, causing severe damage all along the way to its confluence with the Greenbrier River at Caldwell, six miles downstream. Parts of Route 60 were essentially destroyed and probably dozens of cars were swept into the creek and deposited along the way. There were seven fatalities in and around the White Sulphur Springs area, all but one from drowning. One person's body was found some 30 miles downstream on the Greenbrier River from where she was believed to have been swept into a creek that feeds the river. The body of a teenage girl from White Sulphur Springs was not found for over 6 weeks, eventually winding up in the Caldwell area on the Greenbrier River. There was significant flooding all along the Greenbrier River with Caldwell, Ronceverte and Alderson the hardest hit as the river rose at near flash-flood rates and crested in the Major Flood category (see Episode for details). Numerous homes were flooded in the town of Alderson (Pop: 1184), according to the Mayor. A state of emergency was declared for a number of counties in West Virginia during and after the event and a Major Federal Disaster for over dozen counties was declared on June 25, 2016 by the President of the U.S. Fatalities in the county totaled 15 with an unknown number of injuries. There was over $5.5 million in public road/bridge damage in Greenbrier County and substantial damage to private roads and bridges. Preliminary data showed 319 homes destroyed and 353 damaged across the county, mostly in the Rainelle and White Sulphur Springs areas. In addition, 12 businesses were destroyed and 20 damaged along with numerous motor vehicles destroyed. Final damage totals for the event are not available from Emergency Management officials as of this writing but an estimate $40 million may not be unreasonable.