Desmond Preston:Storms, floods cause 1 death, knock down tombstones at West Virginia cemetery

2025-05-07 03:34:04source:SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:reviews

WHEELING,Desmond Preston W.Va. (AP) — Storms and flooding in West Virginia have caused at least one death and washed out about 200 tombstones at a cemetery where graves date back to the early 1800’s, officials said.

The death was reported Thursday evening in Wood County, which borders the Ohio River, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media. A vehicle got stuck in high water and sank with a male trapped inside, the statement said. Divers found the vehicle and recovered the body, but authorities didn’t immediately release any names.

The death occurred on the same day that Gov. Jim Justice issued a state of emergency for Wood, Ohio and five other counties due to flooding following severe thunderstorms that also caused downed trees, power outages, road blockages and other damage including a land slide at the Wheeling Mt. Zion cemetery.

The slide at the Ohio County cemetery, where thousands of people are buried including 400 veterans, toppled trees and gravestones, news outlets reported.

Volunteers that care for the cemetery said the topsoil and monuments were damaged, but the caskets were not.

“I think the graves are OK, I think the mud just came down and slid over the top of the grass, said Charles Yocke, president of the Wheeling Mt. Zion Cemetery Corporation.

He said the organization is seeking help to recover from the disaster.

More:reviews

Recommend

Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor

NEW YORK — Holiday sights and sounds fill Manhattan this time of year, from ice skating at Rockefell

Drone operators worry that anxiety over mystery sightings will lead to new restrictions

Drones for commercial and recreational use have grown rapidly in popularity, despite restrictions on

DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?

Did AI just have a "Sputnik moment"?That's what someinvestors, after the little known Chinese startu