CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The day after the flood, Diana Sanders walked along Jordan Creek, picking up the pieces of her life.
A teal piece of siding here. Some clothing there. Her Bible was untouched, but most everything she owned was destroyed — and her husband, Bill, was killed — when the historic flooding struck West Virginia last month. Jordan Creek in northern Kanawha County was one of the hardest-hit areas.
Reporters descended on Elkview and recorded her, but Diana Sanders isn’t the type to cry in front of other people.
“If I’m ready to cry, I’ll take off somewhere,” she said last week. “You’re not going to see it.”
The Sanders’ house, camper and garden used to sit in a row next to homes belonging to other members of Sanders’ family.
Those family members’ houses are still standing. Diana watched a video on Facebook of the flood waters carrying her own house away.
She watched it over and over again, trying to catch a glimpse of her husband…