U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall knows just how badly southern West Virginia roads get damaged during flooding.

So, to help make much-needed repairs to roadways affected by last year's flooding, Congressman Rahall has appropriated $5 million in emergency relief money released by the U.S. Department of Transportation to the state of West Virginia for recovery from damages to highways caused by heavy rains and flooding in March and June of 2010.

"These emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration reimburse our state for the costs to repair the damage to highways and roads from two severe weather events last year," Rahall said. "This funding reimburses the state of West Virginia and ensures our citizens are not forced to carry the full burdened of costs to recover from the problems Mother Nature unleashed on us last year."

The U.S. Department of Transportation has released two grants to the West Virginia Department of Transportation: $2,600,000 for Federal-aid highways in Logan, Mercer, Raleigh, and Summers counties that sustained damage as a result of heavy rains that began March 12, 2010; and $2,400,000 for Federal-aid highways in Logan, McDowell, Mingo, and Wyoming that were affected by heavy rainfall damage that began June 11, 2010.

Congress authorized an Emergency Relief program within the US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, for the repair or reconstruction of Federal-aid highways and roads on Federal lands that have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disasters or catastrophic failures from an external cause. These funds are awarded to a State after the President or the Governor issues a formal emergency declaration and the State files a request for emergency relief for the cost of damages to eligible highways.

Eligible repair work includes emergency repairs needed to restore essential traffic, minimize the extent of damage, or protect the remaining facilities, as well as permanent repairs necessary to restore the highway to its pre-disaster condition.

Logan County was also hit by flash flooding last weekend.

Roads in the Chapmanville area and in West Logan were damaged by the flooding.

Last Monday, a Division of Highways crew was busy working on State Route 10 at West Logan.

Logan County Emergency Services Director Roger Bryant said crews had to repair damage done to roadways in the communities of North Fork of Big Creek, Big Ugly, Crawley Creek and at Mill Creek.

The DOH had to also move a mudslide caused by the heavy rains on State Route 10 near Limestone and Daisy Mountain.

Logan County and other areas in the coalfield region were supposed to be hit with more heavy rains this weekend.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a Chapmanville native, has placed Logan, Lincoln, Mingo and Boone counties under a state of emergency due to the flash flooding that happened April 9.

Bryant said he didn't believe enough property and homes were damaged to get federal flood aid.