BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - A news release reports Gov. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) declared a State of Emergency Tuesday afternoon, following significant damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Tuesday’s proclamation came just hours after Gov. Justice appeared to downplay the damage, saying “In all fairness, we have had many situations as far as weather in West Virginia that were much more damaging and everything to this event in West Virginia. You know what it did in North Carolina.”

We’re still learning about reports of serious damage throughout Mercer County, and the estimates are adding up quickly. I’m told there’s a sizable portion of the county still without power, and there were so many downed trees that it’s been difficult to get the full scope of what’s happened. This State of Emergency will allow us to speed up the response on the ground and potentially receive federal assistance as we push forward with recovery efforts...This storm is one that we’ll remember in Appalachia for a long, long time. We’ve seen some really troubling images from our neighboring states, but there’s no question that Helene has left its mark here at home, as well. We’ll continue to pull the rope together and take care of each other, because that’s what we do in West Virginia.

The emergency proclamation will remain in-place for 30 days unless terminated.