Devastated by floods, parts of West Virginia declared a disaster zone by President Barack Obama

Thousands of people in West Virginia are beginning the long and daunting task of rebuilding their homes and communities after historic flash floods prompted President Barack Obama to declare parts of the state a major disaster zone.

At least 100 homes were known to have been destroyed or badly damaged by the floods, which turned usually small and lazy creeks into raging torrents. The death toll on Sunday stood at 24 people, officials confirmed. However, some residents of Greenbrier County remained unaccounted for.

Tens of thousands of homes remained without power, meanwhile, and some communities were still bereft of clean running water in their taps, forcing residents to fill jugs and cans at special filling stations set up by the state water utility.

The disaster declaration from President Obama gives the three worst-affected counties access to federal aid and assistance from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including temporary housing. He agreed to act after speaking by telephone to the Governor of West Virginia, Earl Ray Tomblin, from Air Force One while flying to Washington DC from Seattle.

On Friday night, some 500 people were stranded in a shopping centre, the Elkview Crossings Mall, north of Charleston, because the roads leading to it were among the roughly 60 that had been washed out by the floods. Crews spent much of the weekend trying to reopen the roads with temporary repairs.

Some of those still stranded or made homeless on Sunday were invited to stay free of charge at the sprawling and majestic Greenbrier Resort, a five-star retreat and golf course that has closed for paying guests until damage from the rain is repaired.

“We just hope that by providing a good meal and a comfortable and safe place to spend the night we can help ease the pain just a little to those who are suffering so much from this unbelievable disaster,” said Jim Justice, the owner and CEO of the Greenbrier.

Officials from the PGA Tour, meanwhile, confirmed that the annual Greenbrier Classic golf tournament that had been scheduled for 7-10 July had been scratched because of extensive damage to the course from the floods.

The floods, which also affected some counties in neighbouring Virginia, began after torrential downpours from storms on Friday, the impact of which was magnified by the mountainous terrain of the area, which ensured that surface water was funnelled into narrow valleys.

While some areas received 1-3 inches of rain in a few hours, parts of Greenbrier County were deluged with 8-10 inches, the National Weather Service said. Some stretches of the Greenbrier River crested at 19-feet above flood stage, the highest anyone has recorded since the 19th century.

Among those killed were an eight-year-old and four-year-old boy, both of whom were swept away by the suddenly rising waters of local rivers. Sixteen of those killed were in Greenbrier County, six were in Kanawha County, one in Jackson County and one in Ohio County, officials said. The town of Rainelle in Greenbrier County lost 15 of its residents in the deluge.

“I weep for my people; I weep for the businesses,” said Mayor Andrea 'Andy' Pendleton as she surveyed the damage to the town at the weekend.

Earlier, the scenes in Rainelle and other afflicted communities had been reminiscent of the flooding after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans 11 years ago. Some residents had clung to rooftops before being rescued. As rescue teams went from ruined house to ruined house to look for more survivors, they marked each one with an ‘X’ to show it had been inspected.

One home, which had been ripped from its moorings, was seen floating downriver just at the moment it had also burst into flames.

“Cancelling the Greenbrier Classic is certainly the most prudent course of action, as our foremost concern is the well-being of those who are having to live through this tragic situation,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said of his decision to cancel next month’s event at the Greenbrier Resort. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”