(VIDEO) West Virginia's Worst Flooding In A Century...Burning House Swept Away!
US President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in the state of West Virginia, where the worst floods in more than a century have left at least 24 people dead.
Mr Obama ordered federal aid for three of the worst affected counties following a request by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.
Residents will now receive grants for temporary housing and repairs.
More than 30,000 homes and businesses are without power.
Heavy rain on Thursday turned rivers and streams into torrents, cutting off several towns.
The floods are the worst in a century in some areas and hundreds of people have had to be rescued.
The Associated Press reports that most of the dead or missing are in the town of Greenbriar, home of the golf course of the same name where the PGA tour was scheduled to make a stop in less than two weeks.
“The reports we got this morning are that Greenbrier County may still have some folks unaccounted for,” Chris Stadelman, chief of staff for Gov Earl Ray Tomblin, told the AP. “It does not appear there are unaccounted for people in other counties, but it's still a somewhat fluid situation.”
Owner of the Greenbrier golf course, Jim Justice, a Democrat running for governor, issued a statement expressing concern for the people in the area - which is the only county that is reporting unaccounted for residents.
Meanwhile, President Obama has "ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides", a White House statement said.
Mr Tomblin said the federal help included medical support and housing to Kanawha, Greenbrier and Nicholas counties.
Officials were still assessing the damage in other areas and additional requests for aid could follow, he added.
Among those rescued were a 97-year-old woman and a family of five including an infant, officials said.
About 500 people were trapped in a shopping centre as crews scrambled to build a new gravel road to reach them.
Meanwhile, officials continued to try to reach others stranded in devastated areas.
States of emergency have been declared in 44 of the state's 55 counties, and up to 500 soldiers have been authorised to assist in the rescue operations.
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