A West Virginia Sheriff’s Office wants donors to be mindful of fake GoFundMe accounts in the wake of a flash flood that left at least six people dead, including a three-year-old, on Saturday evening.
In a post on Facebook, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office said it had received reports of fake GoFundMe pages and other non-local organizations collecting money on the internet for flood victims, who experienced overwhelming waters in Triadelphia and Valley Grove.
“Your generosity is so appreciated, but we don’t want anyone getting scammed,” the law enforcement agency said.
“Lastly, keep the flood victims and first responders in your prayers — they’ve truly witnessed an unimaginable catastrophe.”
Rescue crews were still searching for missing people several hours after the torrential rains. Multiple water rescues were conducted in Fairmont, a city 100 miles from Wheeling, which included an apartment building in Marion County.
A city spokesperson said an apartment building had partially collapsed, but it wasn’t known how many people were impacted, according to CBS News.
Officials are currently assessing damage to roads, bridges, natural gas and other infrastructure.
About 2.5 to four inches of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County during a half-hour period.
The rainwater left cars submerged in small towns east of the Ohio River and brought local waterways to higher levels.
Governor Patrick Morrisey previously said two people were still missing. State officials are currently working with FEMA, he said.
During a news conference on Sunday, Lou Vargo, Ohio County emergency management director, said: “We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped.
“During this time, we had major infrastructure damage to roads, bridges, and highways, where we couldn't respond to a lot of incidents. So we were delayed in getting there because there was just so much damage,” he said.
“It happened so quickly and so fast. … I've been doing this for 35 years. I've seen major floods here in the city and the county. I've never seen anything like this."
Anyone interested in donating is encouraged to call 304-234-7109.
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