West Virginia Floods 2016 latest news (Affected areas map), emergency announcements: Third deadliest to hit the state

Chiqui Guyjoco Tuesday, June 28, 2016

A torrential rain that hit Thursday, June 23 submerged West Virginia into horrendous flooding or what may come down in history as the state's third deadliest.

Man-made climate change, the state's topography, and a horrendous amount of rainfall in a quick span of time all contributed to the deadly flooding, according to USA Today.

Emergency crews take out boats on a flooded I-79 at the Clendenin Exit, after the state was pummeled by up to 10 inches of rain on Thursday, causing rivers and streams to overflow into neighboring communities, in Kanawha County, West Virginia, June 24, 2016. | Reuters/West Virginia Department of Transportation

On Saturday, President Barack Obama signed a major disaster declaration to release federal funds in emergency aid for the three most hit counties of Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin also declared during Monday's press conference a federal disaster that resulted in thousands of damaged homes and businesses for a town population of about 1,200 people.

At least 23 people were killed after two men already presumed dead turned up Sunday. The total damage is yet to be estimated but the destruction is already compared to November 1985 floods, the state's most expensive natural disaster with 47 dead and more than $570 million in damage.

This map shows the affected areas in the West Virginia floods in 2016. The red patches indicate the areas where flooding is the worst. | mapwv.gov

"Eight inches of rainfall may not be that deadly in coastal and flat areas: However, in mountainous areas eight inches of rain can be very deadly and devastating," said West Virginia state climatologist Kevin Law on Thursday's estimated 9 inches of rainfall in just a few hours, as reported by USA Today.

"We just can't take that amount of rain in a mountainous area," said meteorologist Dave Wert.

The meteorologists describe the torrential rainfall as "one-in-1,000-year" and called the phenomenon "training" because Thursday's thunderstorms lined up over the same area.

Heavy rainfall continued Monday with flash floods on several locations by the evening, as reported by the National Weather Service. Relief workers poured in as well with food, supplies and bags of donation. More than 400 people are reportedly staying in shelters.

"It parallels Katrina. It is that bad," volunteer Cindy Chamberlain, who also worked with the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, told the Associated Press.

"We didn't anticipate, I don't think, being as bad as it was with as heavy amounts as we had," AP quoted the governor as saying regarding the state's disaster preparation and response. "I think that it just came up so fast and no one was expecting high water to this proportion."