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Climate Change Increases Flooding Risk For Some 230,000 Ohio Valley Homes
By: Suhail Bhat | Jeff Young | Ohio Valley ReSource
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (OVR) — A new analysis of flooding risk that accounts for the effects of climate change finds many more homes in Appalachian communities in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia are at risk of flooding than the federal government’s emergency managers have indicated. In 12 Appalachian counties in the region, at least half of… Read More

Living In Harm’s Way: Why Most Flood Risk Is Not Disclosed
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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About 15 million properties in the U.S. are prone to flooding, but patchwork and ineffective disclosure laws mean most people get little to no information about flood risk before they move.

Ohio Valley Mayors Aim For A Green Recovery Amid Coronavirus And Climate Change
By: Sydney Boles | Ohio Valley ReSource
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. (OVR) — When newly elected President Donald Trump announced in 2017 that he would pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, he said, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” The goal of the landmark Paris Agreement, which was signed in 2015 by 189 parties,… Read More

After Deadly Floods, West Virginia Created A Resiliency Office. It’s Barely Functioning.
By: Brittany Patterson | Ohio Valley ReSource
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The rain came hard and fast early on the morning of June 23, 2016. By 2 p.m., water was knee deep in Bill Bell’s appliance store on Main Street in Rainelle, a small town on the western edge of Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Bell began elevating the washing machines and dishwashers, thinking that would be… Read More

Disastrous Disconnect: Coal, Climate And Catastrophe In Kentucky
By: Rachel Leven | Zach Goldstein | The Center for Public Integrity
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This story is part of a series about the insufficient protections for vulnerable people as natural disasters worsen in a warming climate. The Center for Public Integrity and four partners – the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, High Country News, Ohio Valley ReSource and StateImpact Oklahoma – are contributing stories. REGINA, Ky. — Todd Bentley stepped onto his… Read More

Businesses in 3 W.Va. Counties Eligible for Disaster Loans
By: Associated Press
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WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) — The U.S. Small Business Administration says small businesses in three West Virginia counties are eligible for economic injury disaster loans as a result of excessive rain and flooding earlier this year. The agency said Brooke, Hancock and Ohio counties in the Northern Panhandle are eligible because they’re contiguous to one or… Read More

Workforce Aid Approved for West Virginia After Storms
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Federal funding of $975,000 has been approved for Workforce West Virginia in response to severe storms in June that resulted in heavy rainfall, extreme flooding and extensive damage to waterways. Five counties were declared eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance Program after the storms. The counties are Grant,… Read More

Small Towns Fear They Are Unprepared For Future Climate-Driven Flooding
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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The central U.S. just experienced the most widespread river flooding ever recorded there. Flood defenses in major cities largely performed well, but many smaller communities were simply overwhelmed.

20 Ohio Counties Eligible for Federal Aid After Storms
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Federal funding is being made available to help repair damage in Ohio from storms, flooding and landslides after severe weather in February. Local governments, state agencies and certain nonprofit organizations in 20 southern Ohio counties are eligible for that federal assistance under a disaster declaration granted this week by President Donald… Read More

Officials Offer Safety, Health Tips After Kentucky Flooding
By: Associated Press
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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Health officials are urging Kentucky residents affected by recent flooding to follow safety and health tips. The state Public Health Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say don’t attempt to drive through flood waters. Stay away from downed power lines and dangerous natural gas and propane leaks. Update tetanus vaccinations before starting cleanup. For cleanup,… Read More

Dozens Of Ohio Roads Are Closed Right Now Due To Flooding
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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More than 70 roads throughout the state are closed right now due to flooding in low lying areas. ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning says melting snow and heavy rains have resulted in flooded roads. And he says the situation could get worse before it gets better. “Those areas that usually flood pretty quickly when we get… Read More

Can Southeast Ohio Afford Climate Change?
By: Liam Niemeyer
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Four girls sit on a black leather couch a few feet in front of Rana Bartee’s heavy-duty camera, surrounded by fake pine trees, artificial snow and holiday decorations in the background. Bartee talks softly, asking the older girls to move a little to the left. Remember to smile, she says. But the youngest girl doesn’t… Read More

The Flood Next Time: Warming Raises The Risk Of Disaster
By: Glynis Board | Ohio Valley ReSource
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People in West Virginia are still recovering from floods that tore through communities like vengeful gods. When you look at the pictures and videos of the June flood – thick, brown, furious, unrelenting – it’s not hard to imagine how our ancestors believed supernatural beings were behind the devastation. Today, of course, we have better… Read More