ELKINS — Local county Offices of Emergency Management are continuing to keep an eye out for any possible flooding as snow and ice continues to melt and rain showers are on the horizon.

“Flooding is not out of the question, but it’s not really a big hazard that we’re concerned about at the moment,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Joe Curtis told The Inter-Mountain. “It’s possible that we could see it due to the ice melt and the snow melt, and if we get any heavier showers over our way.”

The National Weather Service is calling for rain today through Friday in its forecast for the Elkins area.

In Randolph County, OEM Director Mike Miller said that while snow and ice from recent storms has been breaking up, there has yet to be anything “out of the ordinary” or concerning when it comes to possible flooding in the area.

“For us, we’re out monitoring the ice. We’re trying to go out actually to where we can look over bridges and things like that,” Miller told The Inter-Mountain. “There’s nothing really we can do until it actually happens.”

Miller explained that, in the Bemis area, OEM has local residents monitoring water levels and flood gauges to give OEM an idea of what could be in Bowden later on.

When asked what residents should be aware of in the event of flooding, Miller said that those who live along river areas need to be aware of their surroundings. Residents living near rivers should monitor the water levels and be prepared to evacuate if need be. Miller also recommends those residents also report river water levels to OEM if they see something OEM hasn’t.

Stephen C. Wykoff, director of Upshur County’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said that while most of the snow and ice has melted in their neck of the woods, flooding is always a concern around this time of the year.

“We have our standard emergency plans in place,” Wykoff told The Inter-Mountain. “We’re closely monitoring the river gauges and water levels for any trends in increase. Things along those lines.”

Wykoff said that, if they see flooding in the area, DHSEM will inform the community of where it is flooded and what locations the public should avoid. If things get “too awful bad,” Wykoff said that DHSEM will continue to follow its emergency operation plans.

When asked if there was anything he would like residents to know in the event of flooding, Wykoff said that drivers should avoid traveling through standing or flowing water.

“It only takes a few inches of water to lift a vehicle and move it around a little bit,” Wykoff said. “So we want to make sure that people stay safe during events like that.”

Upshur County residents can sign up for DHSEM’s community alert system by texting their zip code to 888-777. The alerts include advisories issued by the NWS, high water area reports and more.