Greenbrier owner and gubernatorial candidate Jim Justice left his resort in White Sulphur Springs last Thursday afternoon with a meeting in Charleston on his mind.
However, what he ran into, and the subsequent effects of it, caused a paradigm shift in his world - and that of others living in the serene, picturesque Greenbrier Valley.
"When I left the Greenbrier and turned out of the entrance onto Route 60, there was water everywhere," Justice recalled on Monday. "I was able to make it through, but when I got down to the bridge that goes to the Sporting Club, on the right side, two golf holes on the Meadows Course were completely covered in water across the fairways. I thought it was bad, but I also thought it couldn't get any worse."
Unfortunately, he was wrong. In a historical way.
"When I got to the interstate, I ran over something in the water and ended up with a flat tire," Justice said. "Within 15 minutes, I got calls saying [the flooding] was getting worse. I tried to get a ride back to the Greenbrier. And I couldn't get back in. It had gotten worse by the minute."
He paused.
"It's impossible to describe the devastation," Justice said.
Flooding had engulfed the area. Lives were lost. Tragedy had struck. And, as an aside to the devastation, Justice's baby, his joy, the Greenbrier Classic, a multi-million dollar PGA Tour event, was scratched.
"We started conversations late, late Thursday," said Andy Pazder, executive vice president and chief of operations of the PGA Tour. "We started seeing the images. Then, on Friday, we saw the devastation, not only to the golf course, but to the town. We made the decision Saturday."
It was tough for Pazder, who happens to be a 1988 graduate of West Virginia University. He knows the state. Also, he was in the early meetings to place a PGA event in the Mountain State back in 2009.
"It was hard to look at those images," Pazder said. "I've always had a special connection to West Virginia and the tournament."
The Classic overcame the winds of a derecho in 2012, but Justice said he knew immediately. There would be no event in 2016.
"Canceling the tournament was a given," said the resort owner. "It didn't even register on the radar. When you see the magnitude of the death and destruction ... People losing their homes and everything else ... A golf tournament and golf course go to the back of the line - really quick.
"We hate it; don't get me wrong. We hate it. But what we've done and what we should have done was concentrate on the people. We're trying to take care of people the best we can."
Justice, also a basketball coach, told the story of his teams' scorekeeper, Ronnie, whose wife was in a house that exploded. Sadly, there was more to tell.
"You go down in the neighborhoods of White Sulphur Springs and see people who have had their homes gutted," Justice said. "Their belongings are everywhere. You see an old-timey piano that's been in a family forever sitting in the front yard in a pile by a bicycle and the carpet that's been ripped up. You see the windows out of the house.
"We've found body after body, either in Swan Lake, which is on the 16th hole on the Old White or down by the maintenance building. Just unbelievable."
Stunned isn't a strong enough word to describe Justice.
"You do all you can do and you still feel helpless," he said.
Both Justice and Pazder said the call on the Classic was clear-cut.
"The tournament is like a bump on a dinosaur," Justice said. "The PGA took it the same way. Everybody instantly knew. I was in contact with the PGA within hours. We instantly knew the golf tournament wasn't recoverable. The golf course was not recoverable. Everyone said [moving forward] would have been disrespectful to the people.
"The PGA and I knew what we needed to do was concentrate on helping."
Many, many have begun helping. WVU was sending truckloads of food and water. Marshall was collecting. Churches, civic organizations, independent companies and just independents are helping or offering to help. Justice opened the Greenbrier to those in need.
"We've had numerous [PGA] golfers reach out to us and say 'What can we do?'" Pazder said. "Some asked about physically going there, in addition to contributing money."
If you're wondering, by the way, CBS and the Golf Channel will fill the spot by either replaying the 2015 Classic or airing a different final round each day. In addition, notices will be aired on how those interested can donate to the recovery.
Also, Pazder said the Tour is "absolutely, without a doubt" committed to the event in the future.
"We hope next year's tournament will be the culmination of a hell of a recovery," said the executive.
Let's hope. There is so much to do. There is much pain to assuage. There is so much work to be done in the state.
"Everybody is trying to help," Justice said. "Before this happened, we started Neighbors Loving Neighbors. We thought we'd do something great by having everyone bring canned food to the tournament. We're now using it for flood victims.
"But there have been lots of people step up. Jerry West called and wanted to donate $25,000. Everybody is doing what they can. Everyone is pulling together. West Virginians pull together. That makes you feel better."
Justice, though, perhaps characterized the situation best in two simple sentences.
"It's tough," he said. "It's tough stuff."