West Virginia 2022

In June of 2016, West Virginia was hit with some of the worst flooding the state had ever seen, resulting in a total of 23 deaths across the state and numerous amounts of damage. Many communities were devastated due to this catastrophic event with the torrential rainstorms knocking out various structures. Most notable though, was the damage done to private properties in the area. Many homes were deemed inaccessible as the floods knocked out or covered old bridges and culverts, severely limiting a family’s immediate access to important resources such as hospitals, grocery stores, or simply a way to get out in an emergency.

In the summer of 2022, 6 Duke undergraduates (Adan Cortez-Perez, Richard Kim, Mitchell Negus, JJ Peters, Kennedy Robinson, and Julia Saunders) partnered with Georgia Tech to work with Engineers in Action to participate in their West Virginia Bridge Program. Our students worked with professional engineers from JZ Engineering to design and implement a vehicular bridge design for Mike and Judy Rosolina, an elderly couple who were retired and living on an apple tree farm. It was important that this family have a way to get to town during the heavy rain period of the year when the water levels of the creek would get so high that they couldn’t leave their driveway, as it was dangerous to not be able to go get food or access to a hospital 24/7. Our student team traveled for two weeks to Frankford, West Virginia, and with the help of volunteers from Mennonite Disaster Service and WV-VOAD, were able to swiftly implement their vehicular bridge design.