FAYETTEVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The Fayette County Commission assembled on Wednesday for their regular meeting which saw the addressal of a number of topics, including funds collected in the wake of prevalent flooding throughout the area in late 2022.
Mid-August of last year saw several parts of Fayette County impacted by flooding as the result of torrential rains throughout the area. Areas including Scrabble Creek and Smithers became essentially untraversable during that time, and the Fayette County Commission assembled remotely for an emergency meeting to begin discussing response options.
During Wednesday’s commission meeting it was disclosed that the commission would be submitting an official request for information to the City of Smithers with regard to the dispersal and general use of flood funds collected.
“We’ve heard nothing about how those funds have been dispersed or anything else,” said Commissioner Allison Taylor on Wednesday. “So, we are just submitting a Freedom of Information Act request to the City of Smithers from the Fayette County Commission asking about the documents related to the funds collected in the disbursement, process by which they disperse them, how do you qualify for funds or not, and that sort of thing.”
The Smithers area was one most impacted by the impact of flooding, and was an early location chosen for the establishment of a damage reporting site during the conditions for which Governor Jim Justice had declared a State of Emergency.