CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The drought state of emergency for all 55 counties in West Virginia will continue for another month.
Gov. Jim Justice extended the proclamation Friday.
“This drought continues to plague our farmers, so we’re extending our State of Emergency to help get water to those who are in desperate need,” Justice said in a news release from his office. “Our farmers are truly the backbone of our state, and we understand the level of stress they’re experiencing because of these extreme conditions. We will not watch our hardworking farmers suffer because of uncontrollable factors. What we can control, however, is making sure they have the resources to get through this tough time. Our public agencies are working hard to deliver water, as needed. Our Emergency Management Division and the Department of Agriculture are working hard to secure disaster assistance. We are all pulling the rope together to get through this time. I promise, we will get through it together.”
Justice is urging impacted residents to apply for assistance through the Emergency Drought Relief Reimbursement Grant Program.
The latest drought map shows more than 20 West Virginia counties experiencing severe drought conditions.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Nick Webb said those conditions have expanded in the past week.
“It basically encompasses most of the Little Kanawha Basin as well as the Lower Kanawha Basin,” he said.
The latest map also also put the Huntington area under the most severe conditions. Webb said the conditions in the Eastern Panhandle have improved some but are still considered very dry.
Webb said West Virginia and Ohio are the driest states east of the Continental Divide.
“We’ve got really low stream flow across most of the waterways across the state,” he said. “That’s also affecting most of the recreational lakes and reservoirs.”
Webb said the next best chance of rain isn’t until next week but also 90 degree temperatures will return.