People in McDowell County, West Virginia, aren't accustomed to getting outside help, so they turned to neighbors and good Samaritans to bridge the gap after a devastating flood in February. Scott MacFarlane reports.

McDowell County

Residents of McDowell County, West Virginia, turned to one another for support after a severe flood caused widespread damage. With limited government assistance, community members and local volunteers stepped in to provide essential aid, including distributing meals, clearing debris, and helping with home repairs. 

The county, already facing significant economic challenges and population decline, received some federal relief funds, but locals say this was not enough to meet the needs. Volunteers like photographer Sydney Tatum and restaurant owner Roberto Diaz played key roles in the recovery effort, highlighting the resilience and solidarity of the community.

West Virginia community relies on its own to recover after flood

And tonight's eye in America, you're about to see how neighbors stepped in to do what the government did not. Here again is Scott McFarland reporting from storm ravaged West Virginia. Sydney Tatum can't shake the images. The ones she saw. I mean, really, it looked like a third world country. There was mud everywhere and the ones she captured. Tatum's a photographer, more used to shooting weddings and family portraits. But when floods devastated nearby McDowell County, West Virginia in February, she started driving the long trip one way to chronicle the trauma of the water left behind things that should be in a home were hanging in the trees. That's hard to see. But she quickly put down her camera and picked up hauling supplies, removing debris and digging the mud out of buildings alongside the people who live here. And they would be around to pick it up by Sunday. And it's Tuesday. Four months later, she's still there many days. It's another window. This remote Appalachian County, one of the poorest in the nation, is struggling to recover long before the February 15th floods tore through. This coal country community was hemorrhaging people and jobs with a decimated downtown and more than triple the national poverty rate. The way you describe it, people here are just accustomed to not getting help. Yeah, they just are resigned to that anymore. It seems like they wear this as a badge of honor. Its neighbors and good samaritans are bridging the gap. Most of the stuff that was in here had to go. Roberto Diaz's restaurant is one of the precious few still open downtown. The water came up from the floorboard. So not only came up, but it came in through the doors. The basement filled with nearly 12 ft of water, and he won't reopen for months. The kitchen still worked, so he kept cooking, making more than 50,000 meals free for anyone in need. Just feed people who come in. So if you want to have a happy Easter meal, come on in. I don't know what it's gonna be. He didn't stop at food, spending what little spare time he had helping out repairing and rebuilding people's homes. You're really concerned people might starve or go without. During the beginning flood, it was absolutely there was so many places out of power out of water. The food deliveries continue. So does the work to convince folks to stay in a place that's already lost more than 80% of its population since 1950. That was my pleas just to, like, don't leave. Let us know how we can help you to get back in your home. How, even if it's just food, about $12 million of federal relief money has trickled in, and the money does help. But to Tatum, it's a drop in a mud caked bucket. I'm just trying to scream from the mountaintops right now. Please look at McDowell County. They need help. Don't forget these people because they are hard workers. They are good people as they work to emerge from more than just a flood dry in America. I'm Scott McFarland in Bartley, West Virginia.

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