West Virginia governor seeks expedited federal disaster declaration after statewide flooding
Gov. Patrick Morrisey requested an expedited presidential major-disaster declaration on July 25 after flooding across West Virginia, the state’s latest documented government action in its flood response.
The request seeks federal assistance for flood recovery. It was a request for a presidential declaration, not a confirmed federal approval. The reviewed state information did not report whether the declaration had been approved by Aug. 2.
West Virginia’s request followed several state actions taken as severe weather and flooding prompted preparedness, response and recovery efforts.
Preparedness order covered all 55 counties
On July 21, Morrisey declared a statewide state of preparedness for all 55 West Virginia counties ahead of severe weather systems.
That statewide preparedness order established that all counties were included in the state’s advance emergency action. It does not establish that flooding caused damage in every county.
The July 25 disaster-declaration request concerned flooding across West Virginia. State materials describe it as following ongoing flood-recovery efforts, rather than as the beginning of the state response.
Recovery updates preceded federal request
State announcements issued July 23 and July 24 described continued flood-recovery efforts. The governor’s office also reported flood-response and recovery actions involving state officials and the West Virginia National Guard.
Together, the announcements document a sequence of state action: a statewide preparedness declaration on July 21, recovery and response updates on July 23 and July 24, and the governor’s July 25 request for expedited federal disaster action.
The federal request is significant because it is the next major documented government step after the state’s response and recovery activity. But the available state information does not provide a final statewide damage estimate or a number of residents affected by the flooding.
Those missing details limit what can be concluded about the final scope of damage. The state’s materials confirm flooding across West Virginia and the government response, but do not provide a complete statewide accounting of losses or affected people.
Federal decision remains pending in reviewed information
No federal decision date was provided in the reviewed state pages. As of Aug. 2, those pages did not state whether federal officials had approved Morrisey’s request.
For now, the confirmed development is the governor’s July 25 request for an expedited presidential major-disaster declaration. Any federal authorization would be a separate step that was not reported in the reviewed material.
Separate statewide election notice
In another statewide government development during the same period, Secretary of State Kris Warner issued a public notice on July 23 concerning a proposed state constitutional amendment scheduled to appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, general-election ballot.
That public notice is separate from the flooding and the disaster-declaration request. It does not alter the status of the flood response or establish an outcome for the governor’s federal request.
The next known step in the flood matter is a federal determination on the requested major-disaster declaration. The reviewed state sources did not provide a deadline for that decision.
Sources
- State of West Virginia News, State of West Virginia
- Governor’s News, Office of West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey