CHARLESTON, W. Va. (WOWK) – More West Virginia families are now getting disaster relief for the 2016 floods, that devastated areas from the Kanawha Valley to Greenbrier and Nicholas Counties. During the monthly meeting of the Joint Legislative Flood Committee, it was announced that more people are getting back into their renovated homes or new housing.
“Just to give you some benchmark. From June we went from 479 active cases to 397,” said Adjutant Gen. James Hoyer, West Virginia National Guard.
Still, not everyone is benefiting. There are still people such as Junior Naylor of Clendenin was told he would be paid 167-thousand dollars to have his home removed from the flood zone. He hasn’t received a penny.
“I don’t know why it’s taking so long. I don’t. There’s no reason it should take three years to be able to buy people out up there, and pay us our money that they promised to give us,” said Junior Naylor, a 2016 Elk River flood victim.
The Committee is demanding answers too and is still trying to address more recent floods relief, in 2017, 18 and 19
“Unfortunately, we do face a lot of flooding in West Virginia. So, it’s important to stay on top of these issues, we want to get better at how we handle the floods,” said Del. Dean Jeffries, Co-chair, (D) Kanawha – Flooding Committee.
The committee is also looking at where an additional 106-million dollars in federal aid can be spent.
The Joint Committee on Flooding will continue to request recovery updates every month. Lawmakers are due back in Charleston the week of September 23rd, for the monthly Legislative Interim Meetings.