by Lisa Schauer
Morgan County residents with ties to central and northern West Virginia quickly mobilized an effort to collect and send relief supplies to those parts of the state after deadly flash flooding on June 14. A truck carrying donations from Morgan County delivered the supplies last week.
In just a half hour on Saturday night, June 14, up to four inches of rain fell in Wheeling and parts of Ohio County, flooding waterways and overwhelming infrastructure.
About a hundred miles away, in Fairmont, an apartment building collapsed, water rushing through its remains. People clung to tree branches, as vehicles were swept away. Multiple water rescues were underway by Sunday.
State officials say eight people were killed, including a 3-year-old child, in the sudden flooding.
Connie Luck, owner of Good Luck Stables in Berkeley Springs, is from Wheeling. She decided to reach out to Dusty Martin, executive director of Travel Berkeley Springs, who has ties to Fairmont, to see if there was some way they could help. 
Together, they mounted a local flood relief drive for West Virginia neighbors.
Luck provided a horse trailer, and parked it at the Berkeley Springs train depot, where the local visitor center is now located, to serve as a collection site.
Martin shared fliers with a list of needed items.
He coordinated with the United Way in Tygart Valley to distribute the items to direct service organizations in the affected area.
Throughout the day on Tuesday, June 17, vehicles pulled up at the Berkeley Springs train depot with cases of bottled water, boxes of diapers, personal care items, flashlights, batteries, cleaning supplies, insect repellent, non-perishable snacks, and other needed items.
By Tuesday night, the trailer was packed and ready to roll to Fairmont, where the local United Way was set to receive items for distribution to flood victims.
Recovery work continues in the area, with assistance from the National Guard and other organizations.
