PRESIDENTIAL PARADIGMS
Remembering the Flood of ‘85
Charles Wilfong, President, West Virginia Farm Bureau
It’s hard to believe that
it has been 30 years since
the November 5, 1985 flood
that so devastated much of
West Virginia. I remember
the helpless feeling of
being stranded at Jackson’s
Mill at our WVFB Annual
Meeting, along with many
of you, while the storm was
destroying our farms at home. I guess the main
reason for thinking about that time so much lately
was the prediction by some weather forecasters
that the storms that hit the Carolinas so violently
last month could track our way and create flooding
as bad or worse than 1985. Thank God that
prediction was wrong. I hope we never have to
deal with another such disaster.
The most tragic results of that storm were the
47 lives that were lost, and the families who were
affected by those losses. The property damage,
too, was unimaginable. Towns like Rowlesburg,
Marlinton, Petersburg, Moorefield, Parsons,
Ronceverte, Alderson and Glenville were among
those that would take years to recover.
The agricultural losses were staggering as well.
Not only did farmers lose things like buildings,
fences, livestock, machinery and feed supplies, but
many also lost some of their land – or at least the
topsoil from it. Looking at many of these farms
then and now, it’s amazing to see the recovery that
has been achieved.
Immediately following the floo