Charleston, WV - June 16, 2003 - 7:30AM - 12:00PM
LOCATION: Greenbrier Street to near Big Chimney.
EXPEDITION VIDEO: Flash flood devastates the Mill Creek and Elk Twomile Creek valleys
Over 3 inches of rain fell on the mountains northeast of Charleston early on the morning of Monday, June 16. The steep terrain funneled the runoff into small creeks, which rapidly rose out of their banks between 8:30AM and 9:30AM. The flooding remained intense until well after noon. Hardest hit areas included the Elk Twomile Creek, Baker's Fork and Indian Creek valleys. These creeks experienced major flash flooding and inundated Pinch, Meadowbrook, Rutledge Road, north Greenbrier Street, and Keystone Drive. Damage in these areas is extreme. Many homes and businesses were destroyed. Many businesses on Greenbrier Street from Coonskin Drive to Keystone Drive/Airport Road were either destroyed or heavily damaged, including the Cornerstone building, the Deli Fresh restaurant, the Charleson Humane Society Animal Shelter, the Federal Express terminal, the Go-Mart convenience store, the WV DEP building, and several others.
ON VIDEO: The Meadowbrook Buggy Bath car wash along Greenbrier Street was destroyed in a collapse caused by the rushing water. Numerous nearby apartments and vehicles were damaged. The roadway in the flood zone was washed away. People were evacuated from the apartment complex, and rescue attempts to trapped residents were made using a bulldozer. Below are several frame captures from video:
Digital Video: Sony DCR-TRV900 3CCD MiniDV, 720x480 NTSC
Digital Photos: Fuji Finepix 4700, 2400x1800 resolution.
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Digital Photos
Click to enlarge:
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