West Virginia’s governor says thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed and dozens of people have been killed in the high flood waters. The announcement comes just days after the state saw the worst flooding in decades. Currently more rain is falling in the region and flash flood warnings have been reactivated. The national weather service says an event like this only happens once in a thousand years.
A local ambulance service is lending a helping hand to the victims.
“Flooding is nothing new to Cambria County. Johnstown in the past has been severely affected multiple times by flooding,” Travis Caldwell says.
It’s an issue that hits close to home for Caldwell, the commander of the Blacklick Valley Ambulance Service in Nanty Glo, “We have friends and family down in that area and I personally have traveled down there. I’ve gone camping, hiking, and to see some of the pictures filtered through the Internet of what those people are experiencing, it’s heartbreaking.”
The ambulance service is now reaching out to those who have been affected by the severe flooding in West Virginia by collecting donations. They have already received 20 cases of spaghetti sauce from DelGrosso.
“A lot of the things that these people are looking for are drinking water, personal hygiene products, small first-aid kits, flashlights, batteries, and anything that you think would be beneficial in their time of need.”
They are going to pack up their donations and take at least one ambulance down to West Virginia on Friday. Six members from Blacklick Valley and two from the Ebensburg Ambulance Service plan to make the trip.
They are first heading down to a donation center and then will reach out to local agencies to see if they need any help with the cleanup. Caldwell says they will mainly focus on the White Sulphur Springs area. While they can’t provide medical attention because they are in another state, they want to do their part and are asking for the community’s help.
You can drop off items to donate at the Blacklick Valley Ambulance Service or the Ebensburg Area Ambulance Association through Thursday evening.
You can also donate to their Go Fund Me page if you CLICK HERE.