Devastating flash floods, fatalities loom heavy over city council meeting
Members of the Wheeling City Council and city administration express their condolences and support for those affected by weekend floods at their recent city council meeting.
Updated June 18, 2025 at 10:50 a.m. At a press conference on Wednesday, June 18, authorities confirmed the death of an unidentified male. The death toll from Saturday's flash floods in Ohio County is now eight people. Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management Agency Director Lou Vargo said authorities were originally looking for a missing female. One person remains unaccounted for at this time.
WHEELING, W. Va. – The flash floods that wreaked havoc in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County, and left several people dead, loomed heavy over the Tuesday, June 17 city council meeting. Condolences for the victims and praise for first responders and volunteers were numerous.
On the evening of Saturday, June 14, what has been called a ‘unicorn’ weather event dumped 3 to 4 inches of rain on narrow stretches of Ohio County in the matter of minutes. Creeks quickly jumped their banks, leaving residents in Valley Grove, Triadelphia and parts of Wheeling stranded.
While it is too soon to know the full extent of damages and loss, at the time of publication, local and state authorities have confirmed and identified seven fatalities from the flooding, and they continue to search for at least one missing person.
Mayor, city manager, city councilors react to flooding…
Mayor Denny Magruder highlighted the efforts of the city’s first responders, city staff and employees and an “army” of volunteers helping support those affected by the floods.
“I think everybody knows that this has been an extremely tragic moment for our community and for our neighbors in Valley Grove and Triadelphia,” Mayor Denny Magruder said. “For those people affected, this recovery period is not short. It won’t end this work or next week or next month, so I would ask the volunteers to consider if they would consider their services.”
City Manager Robert Herron echoed the mayor’s comments and encouraged people affected by the floods to fill out surveys documenting the damage caused to their property in the event that a federal disaster declaration is made by the President of the United States and Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, funds are made available.
“We do have political support for such a designation,” Herron said Tuesday. “Senator [Shelley Moore] Capito’s office has reached out and is supportive, Congressman [Riley] Moore was here yesterday. Senator [Jim] Justice has also reached out and, of course, Governor [Patrick] Morrisey has been here, and he made his declaration very quickly.”
Magruder ended his comments by saying these moments of community support made him proud to be the Mayor of Wheeling. “The community has been exemplary, and if the nation could only get a look at what’s happening here as a model it would just be outstanding,” Magruder said.
Councilor Ben Seidler, Ward 2, said he has always lived in a flood zone, but the level of devastation Saturday was unprecedented. “My heart just breaks for families who have lost their family members and lost their project and just the trauma and devastation they’ve been through,” Seidler said.
Councilor Ty Thorngate, Ward 5, said he hoped volunteers would continue supporting those affected by flooding in the coming months.
“These people are going to be fighting and trying to survive for months or even years. I can’t imagine how difficult it’s going to be to rebuild some of the infrastructure out there,” Thorgnate said. “I want to challenge people to stay on this and don’t just quit in the next couple of weeks as some of the news stories wind out. These people are going to need our help for a long time.”
Vice Mayor Jerry Sklavounakis and Councilor Tony Assaro, Connie Cain and Dave Palmer – who was absent for the meeting, but shared his remarks with the mayor – shared similar statements and condolences.
Recovery efforts continued in Ohio County for a fourth straight night, with drone mapping, canine units, kayakers and river boats monitoring the area’s waterways.
Juneteenth celebrations cancelled amid flood recovery…
Councilor Cain announced Tuesday that the planned Juneteenth commemoration and celebration set for Thursday, June 19 at Wheeling’s Heritage Port has been cancelled in response to ongoing flood recovery efforts. “Hopefully next year we’ll get [Juneteenth] back again, but right now is not the time to celebrate anything,” Cain said.
In an accompanying post to the Wheeling Area Juneteenth Celebration Facebook page, organizer Ron Scott, Jr. echoed the same and encouraged people to instead volunteer with the recovery and relief efforts.
“We have decided to shift our focus from the remembrance, celebration and recognition of Juneteenth to focusing on a community effort,” Scott said. “We are asking that, now, those that were going to come and celebrate Juneteenth with us…please turn that into a day of service.”
Juneteenth was founded to commemorate the anniversary of Union troops informing enslaved people in Galveston, Texas that they were free over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Since 2021, Juneteenth has been a federal holiday.
Despite the city forgoing a formal mayoral proclamation honoring Juneteenth, as has been done in the past, the city still plans to close its offices Thursday. Ongoing recovery efforts are expected to see many city employees continue working through the holiday.
Ordinances passed, ordinances proposed…
Several ordinances were approved by city councilors Tuesday, including:
$148,533.76 to Semper Fi Paving of Bridgeport, Ohio for 2025 street reconstruction;
$39,600 to Atlas Environmental Management of Youngstown, Ohio for painting of flood damaged walls as a result of last year’s Ohio River floods;
$66,004.79 to Faro Technologies, Inc. of Lake Mary, Fla. for a “focus core 100M laser scanner.” The company describes the laser as used for “Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Design Construction (VDC), AsBuilts, Quality Control and More” ;
$498,000 with Reclaim Company, LLC. of Fairmont for abatement of the Clay School. $374,375.96 is charged to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant with the remainder charged to the city’s regular Restricted Capital Improvement Project, or RCIP, fund;
$193,000 in COVID-era American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds to EDGCO, INC. of Lansing, Ohio for the abatement and demolition of 13 properties throughout the city;
$160,235.70 to Miller Pipeline, LLC. of Indianapolis, Ind. for retiring “237 services throughout the city” ;
$570,156 for chemical purchases from several companies. These purchases occur annually and support the water treatment plant in Warwood;
Amendments to city ordinances reflecting changes in state code adopted by the Legislature this year eliminating certain tax and licensing requirements for businesses who make less than $25,000 in sales per year. City Manager Herron said these changes could negatively impact the city of Wheeling in $200,000 of lost revenue. Herron said the city communicated these concerns to legislators prior to the law’s adoption; and,
$288,455 to Ohio-West Virginia Excavating of Powhatan Point, Ohio for slip repairs on Grandview Street. This ordinance received two readings as Herron said supply shortages and issues with steel tariffs necessitated an expedited purchase.
Several ordinances were proposed Tuesday and will be considered at the next city council meeting on July 1. They include further rental fees for a temporary centrifuge at the wastewater treatment plant, $70,000 for fireworks at the Wheeling Symphony’s July 4 celebration, water tank maintenance at four stations, and a $6,000,000 proposed bond for water and sewer system repairs, among other ordinances.