Barbra Eller-Hanning family during kinder weather

MHS grad Barbra among thousands without power

 

Monongah High grad Barbra Eller-Hanning, who lives in Fairmont, is among Marion Countians STILL withouth power from Wednesday's horrible snowstorms and weet snow that downed power lines everywhere.

Posted Barbra:

“4th day without power. At least the busted water pipes are fixed. I’m running out of candles. Feels like we are camping. Maybe today....”

My sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in the outskirts of Rivesville, lost her power, her cable and couldn't get out of her driveway because the heavy snow brought a line down across her driveway. Even if she could get past the downed line, the road was too slippery to risk driving on it.

She wasn't alone. 5,496 people were without power in Marion County. Even by 6 p.m. Sunday, 4 days later, 300 still didn't have power restored.

First West Virginians were hit with so much snow and cold that polar bears would be migrating to Florida.

Then the temperature rose, and so did the river levels because rainfall joined in the frolicking.

U.S. 19 was under water at White Rock, which most Monongah High alumni are familiar with, and tried to rise up to the level of the Father Briggs bridge that separates east and west Monongah as the West Fork River flows furiously below it.

Some Monongah residents are talking about the flood of 1985.

Shelters were set up for those without power at the Mannington Moose, 105 East Railroad Street; Baxter VFD on Rt. 17;
Marion County Police Reserve Building - Cityview Terrace (Wave Tec); Worthington VFD, Meadow Ridge Rd; and Eldora United Methodist Church, Sapps Run Rd.

Large chunks of ice floating down the Monongahela River ripped every dock in the Cheat Lake Marina in Morgantown. Severe flooding hit streams and rivers all across North Central West Virginia.

Schools in more than 30 of the state’s 55 counties either closed or dismissed students early.

With White Rock closed it took up to an hour to get from Fairmont to Monongah, which normally is a 3-mile drive. 

West Virginia Gov.  Earl Ray Tomblin has issued a state of emergency.

He got that right.