What was the worst flood in Kanawha, county WV dating 1961 and 1985?

Question

We remember a major flood killing allot of people but do not remember the dates, can you help?

Answer 1

I know people died in 1985.

Answer 2

The area up around Pocatalico, Sissonville, and Big Chimney is very prone to heavy flooding as that area is a flood plain. The number of tributary streams is higher proportionately than what the region can handle, esp. in the event of heavy rains over two or three days.

In the 80's and early 90's there were severe floods in the area that did kill several people and wipe out whole sections of residential neighborhoods, for two or three years running. There were families that rebuilt two or three times. One man rebuilt his house by sinking construction grade I-beams into the ground and putting the house on a platform fifteen feet up, and then putting siding around the bottom so it looks like a two+ story house. As to exact dates or casualty numbers I don't know. I live on the Kanawha River, upstream from the Marmet Locks, so we don't experience flooding here, and generally it's only people that live in the lowest areas of  valleys that do not have flood control that have to worry about flooding here.