Dollars for Disaster support effort at WVU relaunches after flooding in several states | WVU Today

This the photo of the back of a vehicle. Bottled water is stacked in the forefront of the picture. Two people stand at the open back door. One is wearing a blue shirt with long sleeves and glasses. One is wearing a dark blue polo shirt with short sleeves.

The Dollars for Disaster relief effort from WVU’s Center for Community Engagement serves as a hub for WVU-related relief efforts in the aftermath of disasters, including supply drives like this one organized following the 2016 flood in central and southeastern West Virginia. (WVU Photo)

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West Virginia University is stepping up to support residents affected by flooding in eastern Kentucky, southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia with the relaunch of Dollars for Disaster, a campus-wide disaster response effort organized through the Center for Community Engagement.

“WVU is ready and willing to pull together resources to support local communities that are in need at any moment,” Kristi Wood-Turner, assistant dean for community engagement and director of the Center for Community Engagement, said.

“Often, we have fellow Mountaineers that are either from affected areas or know someone who is and we want to make sure we are supporting them.”

More than a foot of rain fell in parts of eastern Kentucky beginning on July 27, the same day portions of southwestern Virginia began to see significant rainfall. Flash flooding has also recently affected Mingo County.

Dollars for Disaster connects those who want to help directly with volunteer opportunities in the flooded regions and with reputable flood relief funds. One of the options for supporting affected WVU students is the Kenneth D. and Carolyn T. Gray Student Emergency Fund.

“There are ways to connect to folks working on the ground in Kentucky, ways to support local drives and always a need for monetary support,” Wood-Turner said. “We are open to suggestions about other ways to help.”