3 dead in W. Virginia, Virginia floods

A vehicle drives through floodwaters on West Virginia Route 52 in Upland, West Virginia, in McDowell County.

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (CNN) -- Severe flooding in southern West Virginia and southwest Virginia has left three people dead and more than a dozen missing, emergency officials said Friday.

More than 4 inches of rain swamped McDowell County, about 90 miles south of the capital Charleston, on Thursday, as well as neighboring counties and several Virginia communities south of the West Virginia border. The intense storms and resulting floods cut off water service and electricity to thousands and forced authorities to close down dozens of roads.

Thunderstorms caused major flooding in Virginia's Buchanan and Tazewell counties, killing one man and leaving five others unaccounted for, a Buchanan County emergency management public information officer said.

Authorities recovered the body of a woman in Elkhorn Creek near Vivian, West Virginia, Friday morning, as well as the body of a man floating in nearby Panther on Thursday, said Mark Rigsby, a spokesman for the West Virginia Office of Emergency Services.

None of the victims has been identified.

Members of West Virginia's National Guard, using helicopters, have joined local authorities searching for as many as nine people reported missing following the rainstorm, Rigsby said.

The Virginia National Guard has also been activated.

'It's just unsafe for the tankers'

The floods damaged three fire stations in the West Virginia communities of Kimball, Coalwood and Ieager, forcing the fire departments to move their equipment.

The building that houses the McDowell County of Emergency Services was also damaged, though emergency officials continue operations from there, Rigsby said. Welch Hospital, in the county center, was still operating after phone service there was cut off.

About 5,000 people were without power Friday evening, and some 11,000 were without water service, Rigsby said. In all, nine water systems have been affected by the storm.

Officials are waiting for the flooding to subside before they mobilize water tankers to vacuum water from the affected areas.

"Right now, it's just unsafe for the tankers to travel there," Rigsby said.

A West Virginia man pushes water from a friend's garage in Bluewell, West Virginia.

Authorities have opened four shelters in McDowell County, three in Mercer County and three in Mingo County. West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise declared the entire area a disaster zone Thursday.

The storm also fueled pollution concerns, particularly in the town of Gary in McDowell County. Flooding in a small mine pond there discharged slurry into the Tug Ford of the Big Sandy River. Employees of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection were on the scene, Rigsby said.

At least 200 homes damaged in Virginia

In Virginia's Buchanan County, the rain and flooding damaged at least 200 homes -- 100 of them severely -- the state Department of Emergency Management said.

The towns of Farmville and Colonial Heights reported severe damage to homes and businesses.

The floods isolated several areas of the county, the result of washouts and debris, said the department.

The storms mark the second major floods in southern West Virginia in two years.

"They got hit hard last year," Rigsby said. "They're getting smacked again today."