MATOAKA -- When the flood came, the Wide Mouth filled the first floor of the Matoaka Baptist Church more than 5 feet deep.

Nearly everything was ruined.

On Sunday, members of the Mercer County congregation were sitting in pews on the second floor deciding whether to relocate or rebuild. The church got hit hard in the flood last July, too.

Chris Richards said he'd rather pick up and move than rebuild the church and see the congregation's work destroyed again.

"We'd just recovered from the last flood," he said.

Richards and the congregation at Matoaka Baptist weren't the only people in town who got hurt by Thursday's floods. Just 10 months after the last floods swept through the town, water stood 4 feet high in the streets and 400 to 500 homes in the area were affected by flooding.

Residents said they wanted help.

Now, Matoaka isn't really close to anything except Rock. But Gov. Bob Wise landed his helicopter outside a local school Sunday to investigate the damage.

He said he wanted to help. The state has money to clean up last week's flood, he said.

"We spend it like we got it," he said. "The Rainy Day Fund is there."

Public Safety Secretary Joe Martin said state officials were practiced at handling floods after the destruction that last July's floods brought Southern West Virginia.

"Unfortunately we figured out how to do this too well," Martin said.

Matoaka will need the money and the experience.

It wasn't hit as hard as McDowell County last week, but local firefighters were out all Friday rescuing stranded residents.

Steven Sommers told about wading through chest deep water to rescue a mother and her two children. He said he never got their names.

"We just got them out and left," he said.

And National Guard members were hard at work Sunday clearing piles of debris from the streets. Chairs, tables, rugs and all manners of mess were stacked in the yard outside the municipal building.

On Sunday in Matoaka, many residents were frustrated, many were distraught and some despaired.

"I'll just be honest with you. If my insurance covers it enough, I ain't gonna open back up," grocery store owner Dennis Lawrence told Wise. "I can't. I just can't. This time, I really think it broke me."

"Just hang in there," Wise said, patting Lawrence on the shoulder.

Wise told Lawrence about the state's forgivable loan program for business owners. Just stay open for five years and the loan will be forgiven, he said.

Mayor Jack Coburn said he'd lived in Matoaka for 63 years. The town didn't used to flood as badly as it had in recent years, he said.

He's worried about the future.

"It seems to be building up," he said. He told Wise about his worries. He showed him the Wide Mouth and the destruction it caused his little town.

Wise took it all in and then got back on his helicopter. He said he wanted to help