[ wv strong ]
Hometown
Hero
When a leader was needed in the
wake of the 2016 flood, Clendenin
native Susan Jack selflessly
answered the call. This past spring,
she received the U.S. Small
Business Administration’s
Phoenix Award in recognition of
her hard work and dedication to
repair and rebuild her hometown.
KEVIN DUVALL
MARK BURDETTE
For Susan Jack, the 2016 flood in Clendenin, WV, was a time of
both physical and personal rebuilding. Jack was ready to leave her
hometown before the flood hit. Her job was ending on June 30,
and her daughter had just finished her sophomore year at Herbert
Hoover High School. The two were planning to move to Dayton,
Ohio, where Jack had plans to pursue a new employment opportunity.
Within two weeks of the planned move, the flood changed ev-
erything. Clendenin lost all of its businesses as well as many in
nearby communities along the Elk River, and it had no electricity
or streetlights. Across the state, homes were destroyed, and 23 West
Virginians lost their lives. The devastation was personal for Jack,
who was not only robbed of everything but her house, but who also
witnessed firsthand the immediate aftereffects of the catastrophe.
“As soon as the waters receded, I drove into the town of Clen-
denin, swerving around obstacles in the roadways like trees, out-
buildings, RVs, flooded cars, downed power lines and all sorts of
massive debris fields,” says Jack. “The roads were completely or
nearly washed away in many places. There was utter devastation
everywhere. My father called me on my cell and asked me what
Clendenin looked like. My response was, ‘It’s gone, Dad. It looks
like a nuclear bomb went off here.’ I remember pulling to the side
of the road and just crying for the longest time.”
36
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
Susan Jack receiving the
Phoenix Award in Washington, D.C.
Strong Roots
Jack’s connection to the town of Clendenin dates back to
before the Civil War when her family first moved to the area.
It’s where she was raised and where she raised her own daughter,
and it’s a place she has always cherished.
“When I was a child, Clendenin was a wonderful place to grow
up,” she says. “There was constant activity in town and many things
to do there. Over the years, industries moved out in large measure,
and the town did not evolve economically. The Clendenin I have
known for the last 20-plus years no longer resembled the one I
grew up in, and the 2016 flood was nearly the knockout punch.”
Knowing how deeply the people around her had been affected,
Jack cancelled her moving plans, choosing to stay and help the
town she loves. She has an extensive background in construc-
tion and project management and a master’s degree in indus-
trial safety from Marshall University, and she wanted to use
these skills to aid Clendenin’s rebuilding effort.
Organizing the Effort
The early days of the relief effort were the most challenging.
Jack saw a need for an organized effort, and driven by her strong
sense of loyalty to her hometown, she took it upon herself to start