By Edgar Kelley, The Inter-Mountain
ELKINS, W.Va. – Power was restored Thursday afternoon to the majority of the City of Philippi, after many local residences had been plunged into darkness at about midnight.
The power outage was caused by a power pole falling over because of ground saturation in a flooded area in Philippi. The pole fell into the Tygart Valley River, making repairs difficult. A warming and recharging station was set up at Philippi City Hall Wednesday evening for those without power.
The Barbour County Commission issued a Local State of Disaster in response to the severe weather causing damage to property and infrastructure.
“The water is slowly starting to go down, but the power outage was still an issue for Philippi this morning,” Dylan Harper, the Barbour County Office of Emergency Management Deputy Director, told The Inter-Mountain Thursday. “The water seems to be receding slower than expected. Hopefully the weather will start to clear up some for us.”
Areas affected by the power outage in Philippi included the Barbour County Courthouse, Broaddus Hospital, the Industrial Park and large residential areas. Crews worked throughout the night and morning to get the power restored, officials said. Contractors with special equipment were brought in to help and the power was officially restored at 1:45 p.m.
