Upshur County Office of Emergency Management

08/02/2017

Flood buckets waiting on the van and trailer to return. Making the midnight run to Marion County so the supplies are ready for work teams in the morning. All total we have sent out 1000 flood buckets, 200 shovels, 300 mops and brooms, 300 Health kits, diapers, wipes, adult diapers, toilet paper, etc from New Vision Depot to affected communittees from the July flooding. It was a blessing having these items in stock and ready to go when the flooding occurred. Now we need your help in restocking and preparing for what comes next. We need supplies for flood/clean up buckets umcor.org, brooms, push brooms, squeegies, square point shovels, box fans, dehumidifier. Thank you for supporting this ministry.

07/30/2017

July 2017 WV Flooding Preliminary Assistance Report 11:00 hrs Sunday 30 July 2017.

If you want to provide help to the flood area while we await the preliminary damage reports for exact needs, here are the standard early recommendations:
Help - Impacted families in these counties can call (800) 451-1954 or (844) WV FLOOD for assistance through WV VOAD
Clothing - Clothing donations during a disaster can be a greater strain on resources than a help. Often, tons of used clothing are simply sent to the dump because of contamination, infestation, low quality and low demand. There are no known local collection points at this time. We see on social media that the organizations that are trained to handle, sort, clean, and distribute used clothes are full. The Red Cross recommends that if you have used clothing of value, hold a yard sale and donate the money to a charity that is helping the victims to get new clothing.
Money - Here are some legitimate hands-on organizations - Cash donations can be made by check or money order to: WV VOAD, 815 Alderson St, Williamson, WV 25661. The WV Red Cross and Team Rubicon are also very active in long-term WV recoveries. These organizations also have on-line portals for donations.
At least two fire departments had flash flooding damage and others were stressed to the limit, many local fire departments can be a valid drop off points for cash, check, and various other donations to the flood zone. Check with your local FD.
Physical Help and Labor. Organized groups should contact the local Office of Emergency Management (OEM or OES) for coordination purposes or contact WV VOAD. Individuals, may also check with the local OEM or WV VOAD for local rally points of spontaneous volunteers working under umbrella groups. Another contact point is to join the WV Red Cross. It is strongly recommended that anyone working in a flood zone have a tetanus shot, proper clothing, including gloves, eye protection, boots, and work in teams that stay in contact with each other for safety accountability. ***END JTF.

07/14/2017

Phone Scam - Dish Network Users
If you receive a call allegedly from Dish Network regarding a change in satellites or other technical problem it may be a scam. They prey on rural customers because of the heavy reliance on Dish. This scam may be currently targeting the 924 exchange and other local exchanges. Here is what Dish recommends.
Do Not Give Out Sensitive Information
Criminals attempting to commit fraud sometimes call customers and claim to be DISH representatives. Since they are able to “spoof” DISH's phone number (make it appear as though their call is coming from DISH even though it is not), these calls often appear legitimate. Do not provide these callers with any personal or account information, including your account number, security code, receiver number, or location ID. You may be asked to provide this information when you contact DISH directly to verify that you are authorized to access the account and/or make changes, but DISH will never call you asking for this information.
If you receive a questionable call, hang up and call back on DISH's main phone number: 800-333-DISH (800-333-3474). JTF

12/12/2016

On Thursday December 8, 2016 Buckhannon area first responders spent their day simulating a response to severe flooding. In this photo the Incident Command is planning for evacuation and rescue.

07/03/2016

WV Red Cross link - Please Give or Join
http://www.redcross.org/local/west-virginia

The American Red Cross West Virginia Region is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides disaster relief and helps people during disasters.