Morrisey Declares Statewide Emergency After New Round of Severe Storms

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties on August 18, 2026, in response to a new round of severe storms that produced excessive rainfall, flash flooding, mudslides, and damaging winds. The declaration activated state and local agencies to support response and recovery efforts across the state. Officials reported the storms caused widespread water rescues in multiple communities. Coverage noted that many areas were still recovering from a separate, earlier storm event from July 21, which had prompted its own emergency declaration. That earlier declaration was extended by Morrisey on August 14 for a dozen specific counties—Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pendleton, Pleasants, Randolph, Ritchie, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, and Wetzel—remaining in effect through September 19 to give state and local partners additional time and resources to rebuild. The two emergency declarations are being treated as separate events tied to distinct storm systems roughly a month apart. Specific figures on damage, injuries, or the number of water rescues were not detailed in available reporting. It remains unresolved how the newly declared statewide emergency interacts with the ongoing county-level extension from the July storms, and no timeline for lifting the new August 18 declaration was specified in the sources reviewed.