Back in February there was massive flooding in southern West Virginia, and I wrote about the failure of West Virginia’s political leadership to address it. Eventually the federal aid arrived, but it took a week for the President Grievance administration to approve it. It’s hard to overstate how bad the flooding and the long-term consequences were and are in one of the poorest places in the country:

There isn’t dedicated funding in the recently-approved state budget for McDowell’s flood recovery. 

[deletia]

Dale Blevins, 70, stood in her damp basement, where patches of crystalized white mold were forming on the concrete walls. Volunteers cleaned out her basement after the flood; she didn’t know who would come in to remove the mold. Her husband relies on an oxygen tank, and the mold was likely already a danger for his health. 

“I hate to ask for help,” she said, adding she hadn’t heard from any local or state officials.  “Nobody has ever come here.”

The National Guard, church groups and other volunteers made their way through the county to help out. Those efforts have largely dried up. The local churches, many with elderly congregations, are limited in how they can help. Hundreds of homes still need to be cleared out and cleaned, residents say. 

“We need the boots on the ground who are physically able to do the muck outs,” said Michael Brooks, a McDowell County commissioner. “It is hard work, it’s brutal work and very time consuming … I don’t know if some realize how dire the need is.”

Some more context on how poor this county is:

Before the flood, McDowell was already facing hardships. It’s one of the poorest counties in the country, and some residents haven’t had clean drinking water for decades. Much of the county is located on a flood plain, and floods have swept through before. Fewer than 18,000 people now live in the county now that mining jobs have dried up.

The drop in population has impacted county finances reliant on local taxpayers, and Brooks explained that the bulk of money collected through personal property taxes goes to the board of education.

There isn’t enough left over, he said. 

Thirty-six private bridges were washed out in the flood, some of which can’t be covered by Federal Emergency Management Assistance (FEMA) or county money. Some bridges may never be repaired.

West Virginia applied for additional FEMA funding and only part of it was approved. Even with how awful things are in those counties which weren’t approved for additional aid, this is how Patrick Morrisey, the bootlicking governor of West Virginia, replied:

On Tuesday, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey responded to the announcement that FEMA is denying West Virginia’s request for individual assistance in Boone, Cabell, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Lincoln, Monroe, and Summers counties; and public assistance in Cabell and Kanawha counties.

“Despite today’s notification, I am grateful to the Trump administration for their strong support for Southern West Virginia’s recovery following the February floods,” Morrisey said. “FEMA has offered the ability to appeal this decision, and I will look at all options to do so.”

It’s bad enough that Morrisey groveled in his response to some counties not receiving the help they desperately need. But you need to know that Morrisey has been spending TONS of time in Washington, DC, which the last time I checked was not West Virginia.

Pat also spent a curious amount of time at Mar-a-Lago during the transition, even though he’s not in the administration, but that’s a story for another time.

Now the WV wasn’t the only red state to have some or all of its requests for additional aid rejected; Arkansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina are in the same boat. It’s very weird when you look at how the WV counties which didn’t receive federal aid voted in 2024—President Grievance received near or over 80% of the vote. And yet, they walked away empty-handed.

I don’t know if this is going to move the needle much here in WV. I know that there are Democratic leaders across the state who see the opportunities for messaging, especially at the state level where the state legislature was among those telling fellow Mountaineers to drop dead. I don’t think we’ve reached the breaking point yet here in the state.

Here’s a Nick Drake song, just because.