On February 15th, 2025, just a day after Valentine’s Day, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and West Virginia were devastated by floods that almost broke the record for the great floods in 1977 for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and West Virginia. The Commonwealth of Kentucky and West Virginia weren’t the only two states devastated by the floods on February 15th, 2025. Tennessee was hit, too, but not as badly as the Commonwealth of Kentucky and West Virginia. On February 15th, 2025, two counties devastated by the flooding were Pike County, Kentucky, and Mingo County, West Virginia. These two counties are located in eastern Kentucky (the largest county in Kentucky) and southwestern West Virginia. These two neighboring counties are on the border between Kentucky and West Virginia. The cities/towns in these two neighboring counties in two different states that were devastated by the flooding on February 15th, 2025, are Pikeville, Coal Run, Hardy, Blackberry, Sidney, Dix Fork, Stone, Belfry, South Williamson, Turkey Creek, and others for Pike County, Ky, and Williamson, West end Williamson, East end Williamson, Delbarton, Matewan, Red Jacket, Gilbert, Logan, and others. I am sure many of you are familiar with them because they are very popular and known for the Hatfield-McCoy family feud, and now the best places for ATV/Side by Side/Dirt Bike riders where they are legal to ride on the streets/roads, especially in Williamson, Delbarton, Matewan, and Gilbert in the West Virginia side.
If you would like to read about the great floods of 1977 in Kentucky and West Virginia, here are some sources that you can read about them.
- Remembering the devastating 1977 Tug River Flood by Kyle Lovern on Mountain Citizen.
- Williamson, W.Va., Is. Staggering In Aftermath of Heavy Flooding by Ben A. Franklin in The New York Times.
Belfry, South Williamson, Turkey Creek on the Kentucky side, and Williamson, West End Williamson, and East End Williamson on the West Virginia side share the Tug Fork River. The same river from 1977 that caused the great floods in the area. In 1977, they reached 52.6 feet in these same areas, which caused devastating floods on February 15th, 2025. Ever since the 1977 great flood, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has built floodwalls along parts of the Tug Fork River, including Williamson, WV, and South Williamson, KY, which were completed in 1991 in response to the 1977 great floods. During the floods on February 15th, 2025, South Williamson, Kentucky, and Williamson, West Virginia, were well protected because their floodwalls were closed. Williamson, WV, was blacked out after losing electricity. Areas such as Pikeville, Sidney, Stone, and the surrounding areas were flooded by the Tug Fork River and Levisa Fork River due to heavy, nonstop rain. Areas like Belfry and Turkey Creek in Kentucky were flooded for the same reason, but worse, thanks to their floodwalls. The Belfry and Turkey Creek areas usually experience high river and creek flooding, but not to the point of overflood. But when the gates to their floodwalls were closed, the river overflowed to the point that it became a single, raging river that took over the streets, many houses, and businesses. The flooding almost reached the gates and the floodwalls, but they didn’t. However, the gate to the floodwall in East End Williamson malfunctioned; flooding seeped beneath the gate but was slowed by sandbags. The flooding submerged many houses, businesses, and vehicles so that we couldn’t see them, and some were moved elsewhere. Because of that, it looked almost like a big lake for a few hours, and many people had to be rescued by the boats.
As for us, my mom and Chad, I consider my second father. We reside on the other side of the floodwalls; the Tug Fork River is between us and the floodwalls. So, we got hit real hard thanks to the floodwalls that prevent the river from reaching there, and because of that, the river comes over to where we live. Many of the houses in this area were badly flooded, and several vehicles, buildings, storage buildings, fences, and other objects were moved. However, we are the only ones who live on a hill, while the rest live on lower ground, so we saw it all. The flooding was creeping up on us by a few inches, but it is a blessing they didn’t, and if we had lived just a few inches lower, it would have flooded us. But it was heartwrenching for us to watch the flood take over many houses in this neighborhood because we live on top of them. We did get some damage, and the flood didn’t reach us, but my car and the car that belonged to my aunt, who passed away a long time ago, were submerged by the flood. We thought we had lost them because we couldn’t see them anymore, but the next morning, we saw them. My car, which is an old Mustang, my first car actually, and my aunt’s car, which is an old Camry, will never be drivable again as they were drowned in the flood, which means their engines are no longer good and as well inside are dirty so they are pretty much just shells so if we were ever to have them running again we will have to do a complete restoration. Our water stopped, and we lost the internet connection, but we still had electricity and cable TV. But we got our water and internet back that late night.
My mom experienced the great flood of 1977, as she, her parents, and her siblings lived in the center of it in Williamson, WV. She told me that ever since that flood, she had never seen a flood as bad as the one she saw in 1977, because this one was worse. Although it didn’t break the 1977 Great Flood’s record, it came close to it. Speaking of the record, in 1977 the flood reached 52.6 feet on April 5th, and the flood on February 15th, 2025, reached 48.35 feet, now the second-worst. Both are considered major floods, and the one in Pikeville, KY, where the Levisa Fork River is located, has a record of 52.7 feet. On February 15th, 2025, flooding reached 46.68 feet, now the 5th-worst, which is considered moderate. What’s the difference between the Levisa Fork River and the Tug Fork River? They are the same river, split by the Big Sandy River, and that comes from the Ohio River. They are called forks because they are forked from the Ohio River to the Big Sandy River and then split into the Tug Fork River and the Levisa Fork River.
Here are two graphs of the flooding records for the Tug Fork River and Levisa Fork River, which are monitored by the National Weather Service (NWS), part of the United States government.
Or you can check them out on the National Weather Service’s website under the February 2025 Kentucky Flooding Summary here: https://www.weather.gov/lmk/KYFlooding
As I said, many homes, vehicles, and businesses were affected by this devastating flood on February 15th, including many stores in this area such as Wal-Mart, Save-A-Lot, Wendy’s, KFC, Big Lots, Pizza Hut, Gas station, Long John Silver (considered one of the longest standing chain -business in the same place but we fear that they will never operate again and that it will be the last time we’d have Long John Silver), Little Caesars, Papa’s John, some local businesses such as discounted shop, hairstylist shop, etc. and others. My community was severely devastated by it; when that happened, many people came together to help each other and others by going to different houses or local businesses to clean them up, repair things, rebuild from the bottom up, and restore them. Belfry High School has opened as a shelter, a warming place, and a place for anyone who needs food, water, and other essentials. Also, many students from Belfry High School volunteer their time to help others, such as cleaning up and rebuilding. That goes the same for the Fieldhouse in Williamson, WV. Local firefighters go door by door to check on us and walk around each of our properties to ensure there is no damage or anything wrong. I can see them checking up on people, but they go around each person’s property to check for any damage and to see if anything unexpected needs to be fixed. That’s how people are in our community. Little Caesars gave away many pizzas for free to feed people in this area, and some businesses donated large amounts of items such as canned foods, vegetables, water, even protein shakes, and more. Both governors of the states, Kentucky and West Virginia, came down to check on all of us. Ky’s Democrat governor, Andy Beshear, for Pike County, Ky, and West Virginia’s Republican Governor, Patrick Morrisey, for Mingo County, WV. Bringing in outside help, such as the Churches of Christ’s disaster relief effort, which includes large trucks with long trailers loaded with various supplies. Ky.’s Governor Andy Beshear has sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting individual assistance due to severe weather and its impacts. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the acting director of FEMA said the funds would provide immediate needs and cleanup for those affected. A bus driver, who I believe goes by the name BabyT, goes out to see if anyone needs transport from their place to the fieldhouse in Williamson, WV, to pick up food or supplies, or to take them there for a place to sleep and stay warm. She coordinates many things at the fieldhouse and does much more than just sending a bus to pick people up or checking on them. So, I tip my hat off to her!
Many electricians are coming in from different states to assist the power companies in Kentucky and West Virginia in bringing our power back on as quickly as possible. Seeing many people coming in from different places and states and whatnot to help us is amazing. Seeing the local people going out of their way to help others in the community was amazing. Even though they were affected by the flood as well, they weren’t only looking after themselves but also for others.
Pike County, KY, and Mingo County, WV, will be bound and strong again together! Whether we are from Pike County, KY, or Mingo County, WV, we help each other out and make sure we are all safe! Yes, it may be hard and a long way, but as long as we help each other and work together, then nothing can stop us! I know we are facing another storm; this time, it’s the winter, snow, and cold storms for this week and maybe next week, but don’t let that bring down our morale because we are stronger than that!
I took some pictures and videos where I live so you can see how bad it was. Also, I have taken screenshots of some pictures from others (including their names for credit). We are safe and doing okay. As I said above, the flood didn’t reach us far enough. Although we lost water and internet that day, we have them back, and I pray we don’t lose them again, as we are in another storm today and this week.
I also want to take the time to thank one of my best friends, Josh Pyles, personally. He was the only one who immediately asked us if we were okay and kept checking on us every few hours that day. Josh, it means a lot to me, more than you know, man. Thank you!
Here’s a great video titled “Media Blackout” by More Perfect Union.
How can we help?
There are a few ways that you can help the victims of the 2025 floods in Kentucky and West Virginia. If you are in the area and you have anything that you do not mind giving away or don’t need, such as cleaning supplies, clothing, certain equipment or tools that you think can help people fix their homes, or whatnot, please come to Belfry High School in Belfry, Ky (click here for direction to Belfry High School), or the Williamson Fieldhouse in Williamson, WV (click here for direction to Williamson Fieldhouse). If you are far away and want to do something to help those in Kentucky, then you are more than welcome to donate funds to the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund set up by Ky’s governor, Andy Beshear, by going to this link: https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/stormrelief/
I am not sure about the West Virginia one, though, because the governor of West Virginia, Patrick Morrisey, hasn’t set up a way for anyone to donate funds to victims on the West Virginia side. Once I have received it or found it, I will update this article with information on how to donate to victims of the West Virginia flooding. If I missed something, please email me using this link or send JoshiesWorld a message on Facebook.
Thank you so much for helping the community in this area! Please keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers, regardless of your religion! Thank you for reading and sharing this article. Again, my heart, thoughts, and prayers are with you all!
Additional Notes
NEW UPDATE (4/8/2025): FEMA and KYEM are setting up a disaster recovery center for Pike County, Kentucky, at Belfry and Pikeville. For Belfry, it is at the Belfry Public Library (24371 US-119 Belfry) from Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 7 PM. For Pikeville, it is at the Pike Public Library (126 Lee Ave, Pikeville) from Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 7 PM.
If you get your water from Mountain Water District, here’s the link to find out when they will be restoring your water: https://mountainwaterdistrictky.nexbillpayonline.com/notices-alerts/
Mountain Water District has a survey for everyone who gets water from them to fill out the survey, to help them identify the areas that do not have water: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/0c53980c19ec49efb3eedb8152829dcd?field%3Awater_utility_pwsid=KY0980575&field%3Awater_utility_short_name=MountainWD
If you are wondering when your power will be restored, here are the links to current outages.
Kentucky Power (for eastern Ky): https://doiexzvvala6.cloudfront.net/external/default.html
AEP (for southwestern Wv): https://d2oclp3li76tyy.cloudfront.net/external/default.html
For the students who attend one of Pike County, Ky schools, they are asking you to help identify the families in Pike County who need assistance after the flood: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdktbIjF9azNtTQ9kPCb3vX6inzct8jl-_6SuP3JQpgLrKy5Q/viewform
Keep up to date with the Ky and WV governments for information on the floods on their Facebook pages.
Ky Governor Andy Beshear: https://www.facebook.com/GovAndyBeshear
Pike County, Ky Executive Judge Ray Jones II: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010020289349
Williamson, Wv Mayor Mike Casey: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100027399725458
Mingo County, Wv Commission; https://www.facebook.com/Mingo.Commission
WV Governor Patrick Morrisey: https://www.facebook.com/WVGovernor
There is a crisis response on Facebook for flooding across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where we can see who is safe and who isn’t, and some people are asking for help from us. If you are safe, be sure to mark yourself as safe so everyone knows you are safe. If you need assistance, please post there so others can see you need help. Here is the link to the crisis response for the flooding across the Commonwealth of Kentucky: https://www.facebook.com/crisisresponse/600135422873897
Update (2/16/2025, a year later): The Commonwealth of Kentucky has 24 confirmed fatalities, and West Virginia has 3 confirmed fatalities. There are more deaths altogether from different states, such as Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and other eastern parts of the United States of America.
If you have any additional information I do not have, please feel free to comment below or under the post that shared this article on JoshiesWorld’s Facebook page! I may continue editing this article for a few days, especially if any new information needs to be shared or if any information is missed.
Joshua “Joshie” Sullivan.
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