Eastern Panhandle Regional Planning & Development Council

09/01/2026

WVDOT are updating their Vulnerable Road User Assessment, which is a federally-required safety assessment involving pedestrians, bicyclists, folks using mobility aid devices, wheelchairs and strollers.

Both Berkeley and Jefferson are in the Top 10 counties for pedestrian & bicycle crashes Statewide (see attached map).

Our community's feedback on near misses involving people walking, biking, and rolling, as well as priorities for future safety investments is vital!

Please consider taking (and sharing) this survey:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/846c77e8220942f6929de1f1c719b1bd.

09/01/2026

IMPORTANT - PLEASE SHARE.
CRITICAL STEP FOR ANY POTENTIAL FEDERAL EMERGENCY AID.

If your home, business or property was damaged by the August 27, 2026 flooding and heavy rainfall, please complete the West Virginia Emergency Management Division Damage Assessment Survey. It should take 5 minutes or less!

https://emd.wv.gov/services/disaster-survey

Completing this survey is one of the most important steps in documenting the scope of damage across our community. If enough damage is reported statewide, West Virginia may be able to seek additional federal assistance — including individual assistance. While completing the survey does not guarantee individual assistance, unreported damage cannot be counted when recovery needs are evaluated.

Report Damage Here: https://emd.wv.gov/services/disaster-survey

How to Complete the Survey:
Visit the survey link above.
Click "Disaster Survey Assessment."
Complete the short questionnaire describing property damage, flooding, or structural impacts.

Need Help? Call West Virginia 211 by dialing 211 or 833-848-9905 (available 8:00 a.m. to Midnight) for assistance. You can also stop by City Hall if you need help filling out a survey at 232 N. Queen Street.

Even if you personally did not experience damage, sharing this information may help a neighbor, family member, or local business owner who was affected.

The threshold is high so every report matters!

Berkeley County Public Safety - WV

08/31/2026

🌊 MARTINSBURG JUST EXPERIENCED A HISTORIC 1,000-YEAR FLOOD 🌊

What our community just went through wasn't just a heavy rainstorm—it was an extraordinary, generational weather event. A "1,000-year flood" doesn't mean it only happens once every 1,000 years. It means a storm of this extreme intensity has a 0.1% chance of happening in ANY given year.

The sheer volume of rain that fell on Martinsburg and Berkeley County pushed our infrastructure to its absolute limits:

⚠️ Tuscarora Creek Inundation: The creek rapidly overflowed its banks, sending fast-moving floodwaters sweeping through Downtown streets, parking lots, and low-lying businesses.

⚠️ Road Closures & Stranded Routes: Major arteries—including key Downtown railroad underpasses, Route 45, Route 11, and access points to I-81—became completely impassable or damaged.

⚠️ Subterranean & Basement Flooding: Because of our region's limestone (karst) terrain, the underground water table spiked sharply, forcing water into basements even miles away from surface streams.

⚠️ Infrastructure Under Strain: Storm drains were completely overwhelmed, and emergency crews are actively navigating high-water hazards to reach affected areas.

AS A REMINDER DURING FLOODING EVENTS:

Do not drive through standing water: Roadways may be washed out underneath. Turn Around, Don't Drown! 🛑🚗

Treat all downed power lines as live and extremely dangerous.

Check on elderly neighbors and keep emergency lines clear for immediate, life-threatening calls.

Please check out https://www.cityofmartinsburg.org/Home/Components/News/News/265/?medium=email&source=govdelivery for the City of Martinsburg's Latest Flood Recovery Update.

August 30, 2026 — The City of Martinsburg continues its attempts to assist residents and businesses recovering from the August 27, 2026, flooding event through debris collection, expedited permitting and waived permit and inspection fees for flood-related repairs.

08/24/2026

08/18/2026

Big thanks to Tom Markland at The Journal for featuring our recent discussion on Panhandle Live.

Region 9 Director, Rachel Miller, was glad to join Troy Truax (Michael Baker Intl) and Randy Lilly (Berkeley County OEM) to talk about a critical effort for our region: the five-year update to the Berkeley and Morgan Counties Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Planning ahead is essential to building resilient, disaster-ready communities, but this plan is only as effective as the community voice behind it. If you live or work in Berkeley or Morgan County, please take a few minutes to share your feedback through our public survey.

🗓️ Survey Deadline: September 25
🔗 Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DVY3F8M

Read Tom’s full article in The Journal to learn more about the plan and how your input directly shapes our regional planning efforts: https://www.journal-news.net/news/health/hazard-mitigation-survey-seeks-input-from-berkeley-morgan-county-residents/article_0ebd802f-bada-5e04-bb9d-f8c593355d70.html

MARTINSBURG - Berkeley and Morgan county emergency management officials are asking residents to help identify local hazards and mitigation priorities as the region updates its hazard mitigation plan.

08/18/2026

West Virginia’s spectacular outdoor spaces contribute to our quality of life, tourism, and local economies—and we want your input on their future! 🌲

The West Virginia Department of Economic Development has released the draft 2027–2031 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) for public review. Developed to support the Land & Water Conservation Fund, this plan outlines strategic priorities for outdoor recreation, park development, and conservation across the Mountain State over the next five years.

Community feedback is essential to ensuring these investments reflect the needs of our region and state.

📄 View the Draft Plan: Visit www.region9wv.com to access and review the full document.

📧 Submit Your Comments: Written comments must be received by October 1, 2026. Please email your feedback directly to John McGarrity at [email protected].

Whether you're a local leader, outdoor enthusiast, or resident passionate about public lands, your voice matters. Take a moment to review the plan and submit your comments before the deadline!

08/17/2026

08/17/2026

MARTINSBURG - Dozens of skateboarders, BMX riders, parents and community members packed the Martinsburg City Council chambers Thursday to show their support for a proposed skate park, as council members

08/14/2026

🎉 The workweek is wrapping up, but there’s still plenty happening around Region 9 this weekend!

If you’re ready to close the laptop and enjoy the Eastern Panhandle, there are plenty of ways to get out and enjoy the communities we call home.

🎻 Jefferson County: The Appalachian Chamber Music Festival continues throughout the weekend, with performances in Shepherdstown, Harpers Ferry and Charles Town.

🌾 Morgan County: Head to Berkeley Springs on Saturday for the Morgan County Expo, celebrating local agriculture and community.

🌳 Berkeley County: Keep it simple! Visit a local park, hit a trail, support a local business, grab something good to eat, or explore somewhere in your own backyard you haven’t visited before.

Whatever your plans, we hope you get a chance to enjoy some of the quality-of-life infrastructure we’ve been talking about all week: parks, recreation, arts, culture, local businesses and community spaces that make the Eastern Panhandle a great place to call home.

Happy Friday from Region 9! 💚

Know of something happening around the region this weekend? Drop it in the comments so others can find it, too.

And, as promised, the answers to Wednesday’s Trivia Wednesday:
🌳 Berkeley County: Poor House Farm Park
🏞️ Jefferson County: Sam Michaels Park
🚣 Morgan County: Cacapon Resort State Park

How many did you get right?

Regional Thinking; Local Impact.

08/13/2026

🏥 Quality of life is infrastructure, and access to quality healthcare is an important part of it.

WVU Medicine recently broke ground on an 80,000-square-foot, three-story expansion of Jefferson Medical Center in Ranson, an investment designed to bring more healthcare services closer to home for residents of the Eastern Panhandle.

Scheduled to open in early 2028, the expansion will include additional medical office space, comprehensive imaging services, a physical therapy gym, and improvements to parking and campus access. Importantly, approximately 40% of the new building will be reserved as shell space, allowing the medical center to continue expanding as our region grows.

Work is also underway inside the existing medical center on a new infusion and cancer care suite that will become part of the WVU Cancer Institute, bringing specialized cancer services closer to patients and their families.

Investments like these matter. A growing region needs more than homes, roads and utilities. It needs the healthcare, recreation, education and community services that allow people to build their lives here.

Congratulations to WVU Medicine and Jefferson Medical Center on this significant investment in Jefferson County and the Eastern Panhandle.

📷 Photo courtesy of WVU Medicine

Regional Thinking; Local Impact.