Flash Flood — Fayette, West Virginia

Event narrative (NOAA)

The area from around Mount Olive on south to include Cannelton, Smithers, Gauley Bridge, Kanawha Falls, Beckwith, Beards Fork, Page, Wriston, Kincaid, Ansted, Fayetteville, Oak Hill, Pax, and Mindon were hit the hardest in the county. Severe flash flooding occurred along such streams as Smithers Creek, Scrabble Creek, Loop Creek, Laurel Creek, Armstrong Creek, Paint Creek, and Arbuckle Creek. Dwellings along steep slopes, but well away from streams, also sustained damaged from debris slides. These slides contained rock, mud, and trees, as the topsoil turned to a liquid. One example was in communities of Falls View and Gauley Bridge. Homeowners there tried to divert runoff away from their homes. Longtime county residents used such words as "unprecedented" and "historic" to describe th

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