Mountain State Spotlight reports that July’s deadly flooding hit communities that state flood plans have flagged since 2004, while the Flood Resiliency Office created after the devastating 2016 floods has received minimal funding. A $50 million proposal from the state’s Rainy Day Fund was rejected in 2025, and this year’s legislative session allocated just $5 million, which one lawmaker called a drop in the bucket.
Roughly a quarter of essential structures like fire stations statewide sit in flood-prone areas, and proposed fixes include dam and levee repairs, stream remediation, and updated early warning systems. One proposal would dedicate up to 65 percent of annual surplus revenue to flood resiliency.
This is useful context for any watershed group making the case for watershed-scale flood mitigation and nature-based solutions in their own communities.
