By J.D. CHARLES, Staff Writer

HOLDEN — Logan Red Cross Director Tommy Elliott has had an unusually busy week.

Elliott, who also is a member of the Logan County Community Fund had to put those efforts on hold to help and assist with flood relief efforts across Logan County following the incredible flashflooding that hit Logan last weekend.

Elliott said the waters came down very fast and soon had many creeks and streams overflowing their banks, causing flooding in some areas that are usually not hit.

"Around 175 homes were destroyed," Elliott said at the recent meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Logan. "Usually, the river floods, but this time it was the smaller tributaries. It was hit or miss all through Holden, Switzer and Whitman as to which places got hit and which were spared. In the Man area, Madison Creek was hit very hard, as were parts of South Man. "

Elliott said the initial tally looks pretty grim as to the damage done by the flash flood.

Elliott said many places that were spared flooding were damaged by mud slides like those which hit Taplin and South Man.

"There are places in Switzer which look like dozens of bulldozers came in and pushed mountains of mud everywhere," Elliot said.

Madison Creek, 7&8 Holden and Shamrock were the worst areas affected and a total of 574 homes were flooded, he said.

The American Red Cross has been supplying warm meals and clean up kits and water to flood victims, utilizing an Emergency Response Vehicle and by using the Appalachian Dream Center at Holden as a storage area. Elliott noted that the Appalachian Dream Center has space to house people who lost their homes.

"We have 10 disaster workers from the Red Cross in Ohio and West Virginia who are in Logan right now," Elliott said. "Volunteers are desperately needed to help us distribute supplies. Our people are exhausted at this point. Anybody who is interested in helping can contact us at 304-752-1400."

The Red Cross has a whole tractor trailor full of supplies coming to Logan this week and Elliott said volunteers will be needed to unload and distribute them.

Elliott said the Red Cross will be setting up a booth at the upcoming Kiwanis Club of Logan's Second Annual Bicycle Safety Rodeo. Elliott is the most recent member of the Kiwanis Club, where, ironically, his mother Mary Etta Elliott was the first woman president.