The National Weather Service has extended the flood warning for Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties until 3:45 Saturday afternoon and issued river flood warnings for the Tug Fork River at Williamson and Kermit and the Guyandotte River in Logan.

Williamson city officials have closed the flood gates, as the sirens went off around 2 p.m., and water is still rising.

In South Williamson and the Belfry area of Pike County Kentucky water has covered U.S. 119.

Heavy rain, dropping two inches within two hours at one point, has flooded communities all over the southern end of Mingo and other southwestern West Virginia counties, as well as several in eastern Kentucky.

Emergency Management Director Jerrod Fletcher said crews had been out for 14 hours, as of 1:30 p.m., and had evacuated somewhere around 400 people in several areas, including North Matewan, Delbarton, Gilbert, Magnolia Gardens, Pigion Creek and Mate Creek.

Sen. Truman Chafin reported West Virginia Emergency Director Jimmy Joe Gianato told him Gov. Joe Manchin had dispatched the West Virginia National Guard and the Department of Highways to the Gilbert area where 150 to 200 families were flood bound along Route 52 in Mingo and McDowell counties.

Gov. Manchin declared a state of emergency in six counties in the southwestern end of the state - Mingo, Boone, Logan, McDowell, Raleigh and Wyoming.

The governor also ordered the implementation of the state’s Emergency Operations Plan and activation of the state’s Emergency Operations Center. The state of emergency allows the governor to direct special resources to the affected areas that otherwise would not be available.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began flood damage reduction operations last night throughout the Guyandotte and Big Sandy basins to deal with widespread regional flooding after heavy rainfall averaging two to six inches fell across much of the basins, the Huntington district reported.

The Williamson Daily will pass along updates as the news department gathers more information.