Four counties in West Virginia are in a state of emergency after 4.8 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period caused major flooding in the state’s southern region.

While there were no fatalities, the flooding caused severe property damage, which is especially detrimental for the many without flood insurance.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin toured the affected regions and is sending state resources their way.

Logan County, one of the counties most heavily affected by the flooding, is also one of the most heavily surfaced-mined for coal. The silt runoff from mountaintop removal coal mining can fill riverbeds and creeks, which then flood with increased rainfall.

Mountaintop removal has been proven to exacerbate flooding in many cases, and one of Manchin’s main goals in future flood prevention action includes cleansing rivers of silt and other clogging materials.

See Zac Taylor’s article in the Charleston Gazette for more information on the flooding:Southern County Flooding