MONONGALIA COUNTY, W.Va. Storms in Monongalia County forced the closure of two schools and a few roads due to high water, but no injuries have been reported. Classes at Clay Battelle High School and Mason Dixon Elementary School were cancelled Wednesday due to rising water and continued rain.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” MECCA 911 Executive Director Jim Smith described the River Road closure from Holland Avenue to Lockside Drive due to a rockslide. River Road will reopen after clean-up by the State Department of Highways (DOH) is complete.
Around the area, the Lake Lynn Dam in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, is reporting high water levels, and if precipitation continues, flooding could occur along portions of the Cheat and Monongahela Rivers. High water conditions have also been reported on Dents Run Boulevard in the Granville area, and the subterranean bridge on White Avenue from Deckers Creek Boulevard is closed.
“Out in the western end, I definitely recommend avoiding that area until probably later this afternoon, when those roads get cleaned up a little bit,” Smith said. “Of course avoid the River Road area, and Lazelle Union Road has a crossroads as well.”
The MetroNews Accuweather forecast shows temperatures dropping faster than the flood waters, and that is a major concern for motorists, especially in the hours of darkness.
“We could definitely see some icing in spots because we’re going to have water flowing across the roads for a couple of days,” Smith said. “So, hopefully that doesn’t freeze up and create ice, but everybody needs to keep that in mind.”
It will likely take a few days before ditches and drains can catch the rain totals reported to be 2 to 3 1/2 inches in Monongalia County to 3 inches to the east in Preston County.
“Over the next couple of days, take your time and go a little slower because you may come around a turn, and if the drainage isn’t working properly, you could run into some high water and hydroplane, and that can create an accident just as easily as ice could.”
This was the first emergency event for the new MECCA 911 Operations Center located in the Morgantown Industrial Park. Dispatchers and staff moved into the $10 million facility and switched communications last week. This facility replaces the former location on Mon General Drive that was built in 1997.
“It went well here; we just got moved in about a week ago, and everything went fine,” Smith said.