On January 11, 2014 the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to implement its emergency operations plan. Additional staff has been operating throughout the previous night and today. The staff is assisting in many ways, particularly by escorting vehicles transporting water, providing site security, and directing traffic at and around water distribution sites.
A minor crash occurred today shortly after 12:00 p.m. at the Malden overpass of U.S. Route 60. A truck delivering water to the nearby Malden Volunteer Fire Department made its delivery, then departed. The weight of the water allowed the truck and trailer to travel the underpass on its way to make the delivery, but the body of the trailer was higher with no load, and struck the overpass while leaving. The crash caused damage to the top of the trailer. Sheriff’s Deputies rerouted traffic while a wrecker removed the empty trailer.
Metro 911 provided some additional information regarding the ongoing water emergency in Kanawha County, WV:
Since the first night of this incident (Thursday, January 9, 2014) there were 27 different reports of fights or disturbances between individuals seeking water. There were no records of any arrests from these incidents. There were also no reports of anyone being injured or transported to a medical facility for treatment. Most of the law enforcement response consisted of crowd control.
From 5:30 p.m. on January 9, 2014 to 5:30 p.m. January 10, Metro 911 took about 1,850 calls. On average the center receives approximately 700 calls within a similar period. Most of those callers were simply seeking information, not reporting emergencies.
Metro 911 received 30 to 35 requests for ambulances the first night due to someone coming in contact or drinking the water. Most of the calls concluded with medics checking patients on scene. There are only three incidents of this nature resulting in someone being transported for further treatment. Each of those three were children under the age of two for whom parents requested a medical physician’s evaluation. No major medical issues are known to have occurred.
On January 11, 2014 most water emergency related events have been disabled or elderly people requesting water for medical reasons, like running medical machines, or needing water to take medication). The Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority has been assisting with distributing water throughout the county to these people in need.