WV and National Disaster News - February 8, 2022

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WEST VIRGINIA

COVID

WV Daily COVID Update and Stats for February 8, 2022 (WV DHHR) There have been 23 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 5,900 deaths attributed to COVID-19. There are currently 9,056 active COVID-19 cases statewide. For details, see this link.

• COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Falling in W.Va. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting-Radio)
• COVID metrics improving in DMV (DE, MD, VA) and West Virginia (WDVM-TV)
• Vaccine Dosages in The Two Virginias are on a steady decline (WVVA-TV)
• Justice announces death of 31-year-old corrections officer with COVID (The Parkersburg News and Sentinel)
• OPINION: COVID-19: Efforts needed to keep staff, inmates safe (The Parkersburg News and Sentinel)

WEATHER

• Ice storm still impacting Marshall, Ohio counties (MetroNews-Radio)
• Power has been restored to Marshall County pump houses, boil order in effect (WTRF-TV)
• Frontier Disputes Ohio County Claims of 911 Disruption During Winter Storm Landon (The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register)
• WVDOH combats snow plow worker shortage (WBOY-TV)

OTHER

• Red Cross facing worst blood shortage in a decade, desperate for blood drive hosts (WVVA-TV)
• West Virginia State to install opioid overdose rescue kits (WTAP-TV)
• Oil and gas right groups says new study shows gas wells leaking throughout West Virginia (WSAZ-TV)
• Biden plan to spend $725M to clean up abandoned coal mines (ABC News)
• Infrastructure funds granted for rural development in WV (WBOY-TV)

NATIONAL NEWS

COVID

• Paying bills or buying masks: Simple living with COVID is hitting some Americans hard (National Public Radio )
• Why remdesivir, a highly effective treatment, is a last resort for providers (National Public Radio)

WEATHER

4 steps to protect against home flooding no matter where you live  (Business Insider)

Protection is important for all homeowners, regardless of the risk of flooding in their region. See FEMA's flood map tool to determine your region's risk of flooding and goes into depth on how NFIP works. The article says a 4-foot flood in a 2,500 square foot, 2-story house can exceed $100,000 in water damage from flooding and that FEMA disaster assistance usually only gives $5,000 in grants for each household. The average flood insurance payout is $40,000. Flood insurance is available to homeowners in 24,000 NFIP participating communities and the article provides links to FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program provider locator and to Floodsmart.

DHS SBIR Seeks Solutions to Detect Survivors in a Building Collapse - (Homeland Security Today) - The article reports the World Trade Center and Surfside Florida building collapses have prompted DHA and FEMA to seek new subterranean remote search technologies for its Urban Search & Rescue. FEMA’s Fred Endrikat says, “…the need for first responders to accurately and non-invasively find survivors, essentially to “see” through walls, smoke, debris, and obstacles, was reaffirmed after the Champlain Tower building collapse in Surfside, Florida.”