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ST. MARYS -- Gov. Patrick Morrisey Saturday surveyed storm damage in Pleasants County where recovery efforts continued.
Morrisey visited Wright's Riverside Marine near St. Marys where Pleasants County Commissioner Mike Smith showed him damaged homes, campers, utility poles and other property.
"It's really always important to get a personal view of what's going on, to see how the communities are affected from tragedy," Morrisey said.
Morrisey said visiting damaged areas gives him an opportunity to directly hear from residents and local officials while evaluating the work of the West Virginia Division of Highways, West Virginia National Guard, first responders and volunteer organizations. The information could also help the state make its case for federal assistance, he said.
"I want to be in a position, if I talk to the president or if I talk to a cabinet official from D.C., that I can say, 'Look, I've been on the ground. This is what's going on,'" Morrisey said.
Morrisey has formally requested President Donald Trump issue an expedited major disaster declaration for West Virginia.
The request seeks federal individual and public assistance for Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pleasants, Ritchie and Upshur counties, along with hazard mitigation funding statewide. The state had received more than 950 household damage reports when the request was submitted, according to the governor's office.
Additional counties could be added as damage assessments continue, a release from the governor’s office said.
No timeline has been set for when additional federal assistance might reach affected residents, Morrisey said in Pleasants County. State and local officials must gather and validate damage information as part of the federal application process, he said.
"We press very, very hard, and there are different federal rules that dictate what the feds are going to do," Morrisey said. "What we try to do is move as rapidly as possible to get the data that can increase the chance of success."
Storms began moving through the region on Tuesday, bringing tornadoes, damaging winds, flash flooding and landslides to this area and other parts of West Virginia.
Morrisey issued a statewide state of preparedness Tuesday afternoon, followed by a state of emergency later that evening as conditions worsened. He said the initial declaration allowed state agencies to activate resources before the storms arrived.
Response has moved beyond search-and-rescue operations and into recovery, including removing debris, reopening roads and restoring utilities, Morrisey said.
"We're past the search-and-rescue mode, and we're moving into the real recovery, the removal of the debris and the other pieces of what's needed to help our communities be reborn again," Morrisey said.
Between 450 and 470 Pleasants County electricity customers remained without power Saturday morning, Smith said. Several poles at Wright's Riverside Marine had already been replaced, but crews were beginning to reach more isolated valleys where it was difficult to transport equipment and replacement poles.
Some residents also discovered additional problems after clearing trees and other debris from their properties, including downed utility lines and exposed natural gas lines that had been covered by fallen trees, Smith said.
Businesses, utility workers and residents have responded by donating equipment, labor and supplies, Smith said. Volunteers cleared enough debris near the marina to reopen areas that had been impassable immediately after the storm, he said.
The First Baptist Church in St. Marys established as a central location for donations, volunteer coordination and requests for assistance, he said.
The church became "command central" during the previous several days, Adam Myers, pastor for the First Baptist Church, said. Bottled water, cleaning supplies and vouchers for ice have been distributed at the church and volunteers served hot food and were working with the American Red Cross to collect information from residents whose homes or property had been damaged, he said.
The church was working with the office of the Pleasants County clerk to gather requests from residents who need help removing trees and other debris, Myers said.
A Southern Baptist Convention group was expected to arrive Sunday and begin debris removal today. Volunteers were expected to stay at the church for at least a week and possibly two, Myers said.
Organizers planned to pair the group with local volunteers, including those with chainsaw experience and those willing to help move trees and limbs.
"We've got a lot of people reaching out that want to help," Myers said. "We're just trying to figure out where everybody is right now and what supplies people actually need."
The church also was seeking volunteers to receive and distribute donations, record residents' needs and connect people with available assistance. Myers said the church would continue with its regularly scheduled food pantry Tuesday while maintaining the storm recovery operation.
Additional assistance was being collected in Wood County.
Parkersburg City Council President Andrew Borkowski worked with other volunteers on Saturday to collect cleaning products and supplies for delivery to the First Baptist Church.
Borkowski said he contacted officials in Pleasants County on Friday and was told that relief efforts were being coordinated through the church. Organizers said they had adequate food and water but needed cleaning products of all kinds.
"With all the devastation, whether it's Pleasants County, Ritchie County, Doddridge County, Tyler County, obviously Upshur and Lewis County -- really all north-central West Virginia -- we wanted them to know we were thinking about them and just do our small part," Borkowski said.
State officials also would direct residents to First Baptist Church and other organizations providing supplies and assistance, Morrisey said.
More than 2,000 Division of Highways employees and hundreds of National Guard personnel were working across the state, the governor said.
"It's so gratifying to see the spirit of volunteerism and people stepping up with water, with food and willing to do whatever it takes to help clean the debris," Morrisey said. "We're going to be here for you every step of the way."
Morrisey went to Lewis County following his Pleasants County visit to continue evaluating storm damage and recovery efforts.