West Virginia National Guard members dump debris from flooded properties in Buckhannon, W.Va., during clean-up efforts this summer. Credit: Photo courtesy of West Virginia National Guard
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — For Dwayne and Veronica Bailey, the sound of rain now is anything but soothing.
During a stormy night this July, severe thunderstorms swept across North Central West Virginia, sending rivers and creeks rising and flooding communities in Upshur and Lewis counties. At the Baileys' home in Buckhannon, floodwaters lifted pavement and telephone poles. An unoccupied makeshift mobile home sitting on the corner of their street was swept toward their house.
“When I first realized it was going to affect our home was when she yelled that the structure was coming across the road,” Dwayne said. “And when it came, it brought a lot of water with it.”
Veronica Bailey watched as rising water lifted pavement and telephone poles and pushed an unoccupied mobile home toward their house. The situation quickly became overwhelming.
“I didn’t handle it well,” Veronica said. “I was in tears, screaming. Then I finally said stop, you’ve gotta get it together, and I got it together.”
She crawled through the floodwaters to get cell phone service, and neighbors eventually came to help the couple reach safety. Getting out was the immediate priority. The aftermath, however, has lingered for weeks.
“I think I cried for the first month,” Veronica said. “I don’t think I ever stopped crying for the first month.”
Now, even after the water has receded, rain keeps her awake.
“I keep a flashlight beside my bedroom window,” Veronica said, “and I just look because I don’t trust it.”
The Baileys were among thousands of people affected by summer flooding around West Virginia. Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency in Upshur and Lewis Counties and deployed hundreds of National Guard members to assist with rescue operations and cleanup.
When the West Virginia Guard arrived, members went immediately into rescue operations in Buckhannon. They spent six weeks helping remove debris in the two counties.
The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Flooding continues to meet to discuss possible solutions for disasters across the state. The Legislature committed $5 million this year to the Flood Prevention and Protection Fund, but lawmakers from areas affected by the flooding say additional resources are needed.
“Addressing flooding requires planning, engineering and analysis,” Sen. Robbie Morris, R-Randolph, said. “All of which can be expensive. We will need to work with our federal partners to secure funding for future floods.”
Flooding may not be preventable in West Virginia, but lawmakers believe its damage can be reduced through river maintenance and better flood control systems. The state’s mountainous terrain also contributes to how quickly and severely flooding can develop.
“It’s very hard to prevent seven inches of water dropping in a matter of minutes,” Sen. Ben Queen, R-Harrison, said. “Bad things still happen, you know.”
“In 2026, I am 31 years old. I wish our community could rally around Trump didn’t do this, our government is not flooding people. We need to try to make decisions based on humanity.”
For the Baileys, that sense of community has been central to their recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, Christ in Action, the National Guard, Senator Bill Hamilton and neighbors helped dismantle the mobile home and remove debris from their property. But weeks after the flooding, the work is still unfinished.
“What do we have next to do? Okay, we got this done. Now we just need to do this,” Veronica said. “And you just sit and calculate one day at a time.”
She focused on each step as it came: getting water restored, getting electricity back, addressing the driveway and figuring out where to get dirt.
“That’s what I did, taking it one day at a time, calculating what else I needed,” she said.
In late September, 542 National Guard members finished their duties in Upshur and Lewis counties. But the Baileys, like so many of their neighbors, are still working to recover.
This article was adapted from a television news story using AI. All reporting, facts and quotes from sources are original. AI was only used to assist with formatting and style for a digital platform.