safety
Historic West Virginia flooding prompts statewide emergency as severe storms sweep East
Summary by The El Paso Editorial Desk · Based on reporting by CNN , KVIA ABC-7
· July 22, 2026
· 3 min read
CNN By Meteorologists Mary Gilbert, Dakota Smith and Briana Waxman (CNN) — Severe thunderstorms unleashed catastrophic flooding across parts of central West Virginia Tuesday while also spawning tornadoes and damaging winds from Kentucky to New Jersey as they swept through the Ohio Valley and Mid-...
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The El Paso Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Original reporting CNN, KVIA ABC-7 Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 22, 2026 Indexed here Jul 22, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
Every story comes with a passport. How we work · Corrections log
Key takeaway Get your storm forecast in the CNN Weather app Storms dropped more than 5 inches of rain in about six hours in parts of Upshur County, West Virginia, Tuesday afternoon.
Why this matters in The El Paso
While the severe storms and historic flooding are currently affecting West Virginia, El Paso residents can take this opportunity to review their own emergency preparedness plans. The fact that the West Virginia National Guard is deploying swiftwater rescue teams and engineers to assist local emergency crews highlights the importance of having a well-coordinated response to natural disasters. In El Paso, residents should be aware of the potential for flash flooding, especially during heavy rainfall events, and know what to do in case of an emergency. The city's public safety officials should also take note of the efforts in West Virginia and consider how they can improve their own response to severe weather events. By learning from the experiences of other communities, El Paso can better prepare itself for potential disasters and keep its residents safe. This is especially crucial given El Paso's own history of severe weather events, and the need for a robust emergency response plan.
About this story
Original reporting by KVIA ABC-7 . The El Paso surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit KVIA ABC-7 . Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom .
Category: safety ·
Published: July 22, 2026 ·
Source: KVIA ABC-7 ·
Reading time: 3 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? CNN By Meteorologists Mary Gilbert, Dakota Smith and Briana Waxman (CNN) — Severe thunderstorms unleashed catastrophic flooding across parts of central West Virginia Tuesday while also spawning tornadoes and damaging winds from Kentucky to New Jersey as they swept through the Ohio Valley and Mid-...
When was this published? This article was first published on July 22, 2026 by KVIA ABC-7 and curated for The El Paso readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by CNN at KVIA ABC-7. To learn more about how The El Paso selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more safety coverage from The El Paso, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
← Back to all news
More safety →
Today’s briefing
Subscribe to newsletter