GILBERT, W.Va. -- In the early morning hours on Saturday, Jo Johnson and her family fled to the hillside behind their house and watched as floodwaters swept through their home.

"Thirty years wiped out in four minutes," she said.

Residents throughout Southern West Virginia began to take stock of the damage left behind by floodwaters on Friday night and Saturday. The water flowed into hundreds of homes and caused dozens of evacuations.

The hardest-hit area in West Virginia was southeastern Mingo County, including the areas around Varney and Gilbert.

"It's a mess," said Johnson, 56. "We lost everything. All I got out with are the clothes on my back."

Around 3 a.m. Saturday, the roar of Gilbert Creek, which flows in front of Johnson's home, woke her up.

"I turned on the TV," she said. "Tony Cavalier [from WSAZ] was on telling us that it was all through here and to run for your life."

When she looked outside, the water was at her front step. Five minutes later, it started to come into the house.

Johnson, her husband and mother-in-law fled and waited out the storm. Their home, about 5 feet above the creek's flood stage, was flooded with about 19 inches of water and mud. They weren't able to get back into their home until around 8 a.m. Saturday.

"It was something else," Johnson said. "When you're in something like that, you're terrified."

While on the hillside, Johnson and her family watched as water washed a trailer from about a quarter of the mile up the road down W.Va. 52. The trailer broke in half in front of their home.

Then water swept a camper in front of their house and smashed into the trailer where her mother-in-law had been living.

"I will never feel safe here again," Johnson said. "The first time a rain hits here I'm going to be terrified."

The flood also caused substantial damage to the bridge that linked her home to U.S. 52. The flood wiped out many such private bridges. Chunks of metal and cement could be seen throughout the creek's bed.

National Guard members were surveying the county and trying to get in contact with all families that might have been stranded by the flood. Sgt. Glen Blankenship said up to hundreds of families along Gilbert Creek Road were severely hit by the flood.

The National Guard and American Red Cross handed out water and food Saturday at the Gilbert Community Center. Blankenship said Sunday afternoon that they had handed out at least three truck loads of supplies to area residents, and the Red Cross said Sunday evening .

Ricky Hatfield, owner of Gilbert Furniture, was in his store when the storm hit. It's not his first flood.

"We've been here 65 years and this is the fourth time," he said. "We were hit in 1963, '72, '89 and now this."

Hatfield lost nearly all the furniture in his store. Friends and volunteers swept buckets of mud and water out the store's front door, and piled couches, bed frames and chairs outside on Sunday.

"Thirty years wiped out in four minutes," she said.

Residents throughout Southern West Virginia began to take stock of the damage left behind by floodwaters on Friday night and Saturday. The water flowed into hundreds of homes and caused dozens of evacuations.

The hardest-hit area in West Virginia was southeastern Mingo County, including the areas around Varney and Gilbert.

"It's a mess," said Johnson, 56. "We lost everything. All I got out with are the clothes on my back."

Around 3 a.m. Saturday, the roar of Gilbert Creek, which flows in front of Johnson's home, woke her up.

"I turned on the TV," she said. "Tony Cavalier [from WSAZ] was on telling us that it was all through here and to run for your life."

When she looked outside, the water was at her front step. Five minutes later, it started to come into the house.

Johnson, her husband and mother-in-law fled and waited out the storm. Their home, about 5 feet above the creek's flood stage, was flooded with about 19 inches of water and mud. They weren't able to get back into their home until around 8 a.m. Saturday.

"It was something else," Johnson said. "When you're in something like that, you're terrified."

While on the hillside, Johnson and her family watched as water washed a trailer from about a quarter of the mile up the road down W.Va. 52. The trailer broke in half in front of their home.

Then water swept a camper in front of their house and smashed into the trailer where her mother-in-law had been living.

"I will never feel safe here again," Johnson said. "The first time a rain hits here I'm going to be terrified."

The flood also caused substantial damage to the bridge that linked her home to U.S. 52. The flood wiped out many such private bridges. Chunks of metal and cement could be seen throughout the creek's bed.

National Guard members were surveying the county and trying to get in contact with all families that might have been stranded by the flood. Sgt. Glen Blankenship said up to hundreds of families along Gilbert Creek Road were severely hit by the flood.

The National Guard and American Red Cross handed out water and food Saturday at the Gilbert Community Center. Blankenship said Sunday afternoon that they had handed out at least three truck loads of supplies to area residents, and the Red Cross said Sunday evening .

Ricky Hatfield, owner of Gilbert Furniture, was in his store when the storm hit. It's not his first flood.

"We've been here 65 years and this is the fourth time," he said. "We were hit in 1963, '72, '89 and now this."

Hatfield lost nearly all the furniture in his store. Friends and volunteers swept buckets of mud and water out the store's front door, and piled couches, bed frames and chairs outside on Sunday.

"We've never had it this bad," he said.

He thought the area might flood and spent the night in the store. He sealed the doors as best he could and it seemed to keep the water out -- until floodwaters burst the back doors off its hinges.

At that point he retreated upstairs and out of the reach of the water.

Gov. Joe Manchin and U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall toured the area on Sunday. The day before, Manchin declared a state of emergency for Boone, Logan, McDowell, Mingo, Raleigh and Wyoming counties.

Manchin also activated 300 National Guard members on Sunday, in addition to the 30 he activated on Saturday, to help in the flood zone.

Rob Jelacic at the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said between 200 and 250 homes were affected in the Hanover area of Wyoming County, along with roads and bridges.

The Panther area of McDowell County also saw about 20 homes affected, Jelacic said. Homes in Boone and Logan counties were not hit hard, Jelacic said. Some high water was seen there Saturday, as well as in Raleigh County and some parts of Mercer County, like Camp Creek and Spanishburg.

Emergency dispatchers in Boone and Logan counties reported no real problems Sunday.

The worst flooding of all was seen in the area where Mingo, Wyoming and McDowell counties meet, Jelacic said.

More than 600 people remained without power in Mingo County on Sunday evening, according to Appalachian Power.

Shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday, seven miners emerged from the Mountaineer Alma 1 Mine in Mingo County. They had been trapped underground for about 24 hours, since floodwaters and runoff poured into the mine opening and blocked their way.

The mine had no history of excess water building up underground, the state's top mine safety regulator said Sunday.

"To my knowledge, they had not had any previous problems with excess water," said Ronald Wooten, director of the state Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training.

"The water just came cascading in through the drift mouth, which is on a slope," Wooten said. "To my knowledge, it was an anomaly."

The water filled up the tunnel at a low point in the mine, said Amy Louviere, a spokeswoman for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. Workers moved to higher ground, were not injured and were able to communicate with other areas of the mine and the surface, Louviere said.

Wooten said six additional pumps were brought in to remove the water. Mine rescue teams were on standby, but were not needed, he said.

The National Weather Service said there was a 20 percent chance of rain in the area on Monday.

Staff writers Davin White and Ken Ward Jr. contributed to this report. Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5113.