Guarding
West Virginia’s
Future
Maj. Gen.
Caption
and
James
Credit.
Hoyer meets
with some of the youngest
flood victims in
Clendenin, WV.
Photo by Sgt.
Mickey Miller.
Tech. Sgt. Brian Grim of the 167th Airlift Wing
picks up debris on June 26, 2016 in Clendenin,
WV. Photo by Tech. Sgt. De-Juan Haley.
The West Virginia Army National Guard
is leveraging its time, talent and resources
to create economic development
opportunities in the towns that were most
affected by the June 2016 flood, inspiring
employment possibilities in new industries.
“I look at that site to consider how
capable we were as a state back then,”
says Hoyer. “We can translate that into the
significant potential we have for the future.”
As the statewide flood relief coordina-
tor, Hoyer hopes to capture that potential
as West Virginians work to overcome the
aftereffects of the June 2016 flood that
swept through Clay, Greenbrier, Kanawha
and Nicholas counties, killing 23, closing
hundreds of businesses and leaving thou-
sands homeless and jobless.
Employing Expertise
KATLIN SWISHER
Major General James Hoyer of the West
Virginia Army National Guard (WVARNG)
jokes that his wife often catches him surfing
the web. His most frequently visited site?
My West Virginia Home.
Dedicated to forgotten photos from
decades past, the site features images of
what West Virginia looked like in the
1930s, 1940s and 1950s. The nostalgia
reminds him of what his home state was
like in years past and shows him what it
could be like for future generations.
While it’s normal for the National Guard to
be involved in emergency relief and response
efforts during natural disasters, what is
unusual is Hoyer volunteering to be the
statewide flood relief coordinator and his
leading the WVARNG to take on a long-term
recovery and economic development effort.
“After seeing the devastation that oc-
curred and getting on the ground a couple
of days in, it was clear that recovery would
be a long-term effort that would have a sig-
nificant impact on our state,” says Hoyer.
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