From fire departments to hospitals, hundreds of first responder stations face a serious flood risk

In the West Virginia town of Triadelphia, the rain had stopped, and the sun had come out.

But then, emergency calls began pouring in. People were trapped in their cars. As Triadelphia Fire Chief David Patterson and his crew tried to respond, a flooded bridge blocked their path.

“I looked up, and there’s a wall of water coming at us,” Patterson said.

The scattered June storms earlier this year pummeled West Virginia’s northern panhandle, dropping several inches of rain in mere minutes. The heavy rainfall quickly ran off the hills surrounding Triadelphia. Rivers of water gushed through the region, killed nine residents and washed away cars, homes and bridges.

As Patterson and his crew rescued stranded residents, the floodwaters ravaged their fire station.

Water built up against the back