Historic levels of rain swamped much of West Virginia over the past several days, with a state of emergency declared in 44 counties in the Mountaineer state due to high flooding as many local rivers reached historically high levels. Approximately 500,000 residents lost electricity initially due to the flooding, with at least 26 people losing their lives as well. That’s why a host of Army Reserve and National Guard units are hard at work in the Mountaineer state this week as part of “Operation Summer Rain,” cleaning up debris and helping local communities ravaged by flooding get back on their feet. (All photos courtesy of the Department of Defense)
Sean Kilcarr is a former longtime FleetOwner senior editor who wrote for the publication from 2000 to 2018. He served as editor-in-chief from 2017 to 2018.