Looking at progress made in eastern Kentucky one year after historic floods
"It's not enough just to rebuild. We got to do special things in this region. "
It's been a year since devastating flood waters decimated parts of eastern Kentucky.
On July 27, 2022, heavy rainfall drenched much of eastern Kentucky, causing historic flash flooding, mudslides and power outages. Dozens lost loved ones and hundreds were left without homes.
When the rain finally stopped on July 29, some areas saw as much as 8 to 10.5 inches of rain.
Forty-five people died across six counties as a result of the natural disaster, including a teenage boy who was helping clean up debris in the aftermath.
"We continue to work on today to rebuild every life and every structure. These areas should come out of this better off with all the trauma they've been through. It's not enough just to rebuild. We got to do special things in the region. We love the people of eastern Kentucky, we love this region and what it stands for," Gov. Andy Beshear said last week.
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People were stranded as they waited to be rescued from the floodwaters, including a 17-year-old girl who was stranded on the roof of a house with her dog for hours.
Beshear declared a state of emergency immediately following the storm. He later took a helicopter fly-over of some of the impacted communities, saying this flood was "by far the worst" he's ever seen.
Survivors recounted how they last saw their loved ones and later found their bodies miles away.
Randall Vick was just able to say "I love you" to his wife before they were pulled underwater. Vick clung to a tree for about seven hours before community members lashed themselves together with extension cords and rescued him.
They found his wife's body miles away.
Patricia Collins lost her mother in the flooding. She was home with her boyfriend when the storms hit.
Collins went to check on her mom, Nellie Mae Howard, and they climbed up on the kitchen table but it collapsed into the water.
Collins was in the water and pinned between a couch and a car when rescuers found her two hours later. Howard's body was found five hours later.
Clean up Destruction 'like a tornado'
Following the disaster, Beshear quickly launched the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund to help survivors as they worked to rebuild.
As of July 18, 2023, over $13.2 million has been donated to help those impacted by the historic flooding.
The fund has helped to pay for the funerals of the Kentuckians who died. Of that $13.2 million, over $1.175 million has been committed to help build new homes and make repairs, according to officials.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has been working to remove debris causing backup in the area in hopes of preventing future incidents.
Experts testified before an interim joint committee on July 18, 2023 that debris cleanup has cost around $200 million.
"The debris in the waterways was very extensive and, in fact, I was shocked to see that a flood -- the destruction area looked just like a tornado that had been through it. It was that type of just total, total, total destruction," state Sen. Jimmy Higdon said.
KYTC said that money isn't part of their budget but instead will be part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement.
Infrastructure, commercial buildings and homes were all either damaged or destroyed after the torrential downpour, including the Appalshop, a local media company that works to preserve the region's history.
After the flooding, Operations Director Roger May told WHAS11 there was a "substantial amount of loss." Volunteers spent days cleaning out the building to see what historic artifacts could be saved.
But building new homes and repairing what was damaged had some in the Appalachian community questioning whether or not they wanted to stay.
For John Bailey and his family, they weren't sure what they were going to do. When asked if he'd like to rebuild on the land they own, his thoughts turned to his son.
“He won't even go back right now to even look at it," Bailey said.
As of Aug. 2, 74 families are in travel trailers and 308 households were transitioned out of the Commonwealth Sheltering Program according to a news release.
Continued support 'Building back'
As news of the devastation and heartache came out of eastern Kentucky, the commonwealth stepped up to help once again, having done so just months earlier in western Kentucky.
On July 27, 2023, Beshear announced a major building project designed to provide long-term housing for flood survivors. He said $2 million will go to Floyd County to help with buying two pieces of land; they plan to build 34 homes on it.
Beshear added the properties are out of the flood plain, and they will be close to shopping, education, medical services and more.
"Building back in a way that stops the depopulation of Eastern Kentucky, that brings more jobs, and other opportunities; that lets us re-envision what a community can look like and address some of the impediments or obstacles that have afflicted the region, the region for too long," he said.
The funding is coming from the Community Development Block Grant. Once they buy the properties, Beshear said there will be more funding coming for the infrastructure.
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman accepted a $10,000 donation from Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits on July 19, 2023 for the Team Eastern Kentucky Relief Fund and said it was a special moment because it shows those impacted haven't been forgotten.
School districts donated furniture, and construction companies traveled to the region to help fix as much as they could.
Beshear and his wife, Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear, also hosted a toy drive around Christmas to help bring toys to children in the region. Thousands of toys and gift cards were donated according to Britainy.
Help continues to head to eastern Kentucky a year after the flooding to continue rebuilding what was lost.
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