At dawn on Sunburst Drive in Gary, families ease their cars onto a narrow strip of gravel and milled asphalt where a bridge once stood. The makeshift path, just wide enough for a pickup, is the only link between several homes and the rest of McDowell County. Parents steer nervously as children grip backpacks, elders clutch medicine bags, and everyone hopes today isn’t the day the temporary road gives way. The bridge washed out in February’s floods, leaving residents stranded until state crews laid down an emergency bypass.

Eight months later, it remains a patchwork fix—no guardrails, no guarantees. For neighbors in one of America’s poorest counties, the wait for help has turned into a test of patience and survival. Governor Patrick Morrisey visited Welch on September 15 and addressed the issue head-on. His message was blunt: the bridge is privately owned, so the state can’t rebuild it. “We don’t have authority over it,” he said, pointing instead to $63 million in statewide flood aid and $19 million for McDowell water projects.

For families who just want safe passage, the deflection stung. By September 16, frustration spilled onto social media. “We deserve so much more from @wvgovernor,” one post read, sharing a WVVA report. The anger reflects a broader sense of abandonment in Gary, where flood risk is among the highest in West Virginia but recovery resources lag. This stalemate is more than a bureaucratic quirk. Without clear ownership, neither state nor federal dollars can flow.

Residents say tax bills don’t show the bridge as theirs, yet no public record confirms government control either. In the meantime, daily life continues over a path never meant for school buses or ambulances. The contrast is hard to ignore: millions invested in countywide water upgrades, but a bridge repair that might cost a fraction remains stalled. For many, it raises questions about equity—why sweeping aid packages bypass the most visible, urgent need. Looking ahead, state officials point to October 8 flood buyout discussions as a possible venue for relief.

Yet for families on Sunburst Drive, hope is tempered by months of waiting. Until someone claims responsibility, their bridge remains a symbol of McDowell’s resilience—and its neglect. “Every trip is a gamble,” one resident told a local pastor. “We don’t need promises. We need a way across.”