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Follansbee wants flood remedies

FOLLANSBEE — City officials continue to seek reimbursement for costs related to the July 30 flooding and remedies to prevent further flooding.

City Manager John DeStefano said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., still is working to arrange a meeting between city officials and government agency representatives to discuss preventive measures. Such agencies are expected to include the West Virginia Division of Highways, state Soil Conservation Service and Army Corps of Engineers.

DeStefano said Gus Suwaid, district director for the state Division of Highways, arranged for crews to dredge a drainage canal at the south end of Main Street to ease the flow of runoff from a hillside above the city.

“He (Suwaid) promised he would do it, and he did it in a very timely manner,” DeStefano said.

He added state highway officials have made plans to design repairs to the intersection of Main and Allegheny streets.

Beneath it is a bridge that extends over a 10-foot-wide culvert through which Allegheny Creek flows to the Ohio River. The culvert has been blocked by a variety of trash, including a mattress and box springs dumped near the creek.

In April state road crews made emergency repairs to the bridge and a sinkhole along the street. But DeStefano and others said the highway appears to be dipping at the center there since the flooding.

The city manager is hopeful the state Division of Highways will establish a wider culvert under Main Street at the south end of town. He said the culvert frequently becomes clogged during heavy rain.

DeStefano said Allegheny Creek continues to fill with debris, but he and other city officials are reluctant to touch it, citing the cost to dredge the creek.

The creek flooded into homes, several businesses and two churches following 5 inches of rainfall. Other areas of the city were flooded by heavy runoff from the hillside above the city’s east side, and storm sewers in the city backed up.

In September, DeStefano told council the city was billed $353,619 by contractors involved with cleanup efforts following the flood and has paid about $100,000 to repair to pump stations damaged.

City fire Chief Larry Rea has been tallying damages to the city’s fire station, including the loss of generators and other equipment and living quarters there.

City officials and local political representatives had hoped the Legislature would award some funding for such expenses when, in a special September session, it allocated $85 million for many southern West Virginia counties devastated by flooding this year. But when that didn’t occur, council moved to pay the bills while continuing to seek financial aid.

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