Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
After a heavy storm season in West Virginia, communities across the state are again dealing with flooding that has become a familiar and escalating threat. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she is working on federal solutions aimed at reducing flood risks.
Capito recently helped write the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, a biennial bill that addresses water infrastructure, flood-risk management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. Capito said flood mitigation was a priority in this year’s legislation.
In Kanawha County’s Campbells Creek, resident Steven Edens said years of high water concerns has left people bracing for the worst whenever it rains.
“Every time it rains everybody around here just waits for the disaster to happen," he said. "They know the end result of what's going to happen."
Concerns like those are being echoed statewide as West Virginia communities have been hit repeatedly by flash flooding. Capito described storms that linger over communities and the constant flood alerts that can follow.
“The system seemed to be just parked on us. We saw that, McCann and Weston, that's certainly the 2016 flood," she said. Actually, I was kind of having flashbacks last night as I was listening to it on my own roof. We were getting flood alerts all the time on our phones."
Capito chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Last month, the committee unanimously advanced the Water Resources Development Act of 2026.
Among the bill’s provisions is a new Army Corps of Engineers program designed to help with small stream debris-removal projects. Capito said the bill includes funding aimed at dredging and clearing waterways.
“One of the things in that water infrastructure bill that we put together is we did get some money in there for dredging because what happens is a lot of our streams are backing up and they just can't take the capacity of water," Capito said. "It would be hard for them if they didn't have sticks and other debris in there. This was my kind of head project, is to get money in their useful mitigation."
While mitigation efforts cannot prevent every flood, Capito said the goal is to address stream problems before storms put them to the test.
The bill is not yet law and will now go before the full Senate. If it ultimately passes Congress, it would authorize new federal help for flood-risk projects, including the stream-debris program.
Capito said she could not say how much funding West Virginia could receive.
“I can't say exactly how much money.... And these projects are extremely expensive, so it's extremely in the locks and dams area," she said. "Hopefully West Virginia always sees it's fair share and I'll make sure we do."
The legislation still has a long way to go, but communities that have faced repeated flooding are watching closely, hoping additional resources arrive before the next storm.
FULL STORY: wchstv.com/news/local/capito-pushes-federal-aid-as-west-virginia-flooding-worsens-after-heavy-storms
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After a heavy storm season in West Virginia, communities across the state are again dealing with flooding that has become a familiar and escalating threat. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she is working on federal solutions aimed at reducing flood risks.
Capito recently helped write the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, a biennial bill that addresses water infrastructure, flood-risk management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. Capito said flood mitigation was a priority in this year’s legislation.
In Kanawha County’s Campbells Creek, resident Steven Edens said years of high water concerns has left people bracing for the worst whenever it rains.
“Every time it rains everybody around here just waits for the disaster to happen," he said. "They know the end result of what's going to happen."
Concerns like those are being echoed statewide as West Virginia communities have been hit repeatedly by flash flooding. Capito described storms that linger over communities and the constant flood alerts that can follow.
“The system seemed to be just parked on us. We saw that, McCann and Weston, that's certainly the 2016 flood," she said. Actually, I was kind of having flashbacks last night as I was listening to it on my own roof. We were getting flood alerts all the time on our phones."
Capito chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Last month, the committee unanimously advanced the Water Resources Development Act of 2026.
Among the bill’s provisions is a new Army Corps of Engineers program designed to help with small stream debris-removal projects. Capito said the bill includes funding aimed at dredging and clearing waterways.
“One of the things in that water infrastructure bill that we put together is we did get some money in there for dredging because what happens is a lot of our streams are backing up and they just can't take the capacity of water," Capito said. "It would be hard for them if they didn't have sticks and other debris in there. This was my kind of head project, is to get money in their useful mitigation."
While mitigation efforts cannot prevent every flood, Capito said the goal is to address stream problems before storms put them to the test.
The bill is not yet law and will now go before the full Senate. If it ultimately passes Congress, it would authorize new federal help for flood-risk projects, including the stream-debris program.
Capito said she could not say how much funding West Virginia could receive.
“I can't say exactly how much money.... And these projects are extremely expensive, so it's extremely in the locks and dams area," she said. "Hopefully West Virginia always sees it's fair share and I'll make sure we do."
The legislation still has a long way to go, but communities that have faced repeated flooding are watching closely, hoping additional resources arrive before the next storm.
FULL STORY: wchstv.com/news/local/capito-pushes-federal-aid-as-west-virginia-flooding-worsens-after-heavy-storms
_________________________________________
Follow WCHS on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/eyewitnessnewscharleston
Twitter: twitter.com/wchs8fox11
Instagram: instagram.com/wchs8fox11
For the latest local and national news, visit our website: wchstv.com
Sign up for our newsletter: wchstv.com/sign-up
