Southeastern, Ky. — July 2022 Flooding
During the week of July 25, 2022, a single storm system moved across multiple states causing flash flooding from Missouri to parts of Virginia and West Virginia. The flooding resulted in damaged homes and buildings, loss of life, and whole towns left underwater, especially in the greater St. Louis, Mo., area and a large area of southeastern Kentucky.
In Kentucky, the overwhelming volume of rain from these thunderstorms and the resulting flooding led to 44 deaths and widespread catastrophic damage. Entire houses and parts of some communities were swept away by floodwaters, leading to costly damage to homes and infrastructure in the region. Over 600 helicopter rescues and countless swift water rescues by boat were needed to evacuate people who were trapped by the quickly rising water.
In the 13 counties in Kentucky that received a federal disaster declaration, more than 13,000 families applied for Individual Assistance from FEMA. Letcher County was one of the four hardest hit counties. Census data from 2022 shows that over 22 percent of the population in the county lives in poverty and that affordable housing was an issue prior to the flooding.
A BDM Rebuilding Program short-term response to the flooding in southeastern Kentucky is scheduled for the week of April 14, 2024. Volunteers will be working with HOMES, Inc., a local non-profit whose mission is to provide affordable housing for low to moderate income families in Letcher County and surrounding counties. Their work includes energy efficient homebuyer opportunities, quality home repairs, and rental opportunities. Although HOMES, Inc. has been providing these services to the community since 1984 their work and the need for their services has been compounded by the 2022 flooding that swept the area.
BDM will serve qualified families identified by HOMES, Inc in Letcher County.
For more details on this disaster and the impact check out these videos below.
Media Coverage and Videos of the Flooding and Aftermath
HOMES, Inc Website and Facebook Page and news:
https://www.homesincorporated.org/
https://www.facebook.com/homeseky
https://www.wymt.com/2023/12/19/new-home-offers-hope-again-organization-begins-build-family-home-lost-flood-fire/
Housing
Volunteer housing is located at a HOMES, Inc. property that includes three former model homes. Two of the houses have been transformed into bunk houses. The third house will be used for dining and includes a common gathering area. Job sites will be a 10–20-minute drive.
Volunteer Housing: 180 Ball Park Road, Fleming-Neon, KY 41840
Meals
Meals will be prepared in the house site kitchen. Volunteer groups are asked to include an assistant household leader/cook. Volunteers will be asked to help with kitchen cleanup.
Work
Workdays for the site will be four 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday based on the work week for the HOMES, Inc staff. The groups will leave the housing site at 7:30 am and work until 5:30 pm. The type of work in southeastern Kentucky will include building new homes to replace previous homes and residences that were destroyed by flooding.
We are hearing that this week, our main project will be framing a new home for an elderly flood survivor. She has mobility issues and lived in a very old two-story camp house that was in poor condition and the second floor was not accessible to her. They have raised the house and hope to have the subfloor on before our group arrives.
There will also likely be repair work on some homes impacted by the flooding that we can send teams to as well. We are awaiting details on those projects.
Tools, vehicles, and leadership are provided.
Travel
Groups must send registration forms and mode of travel plans to Kim Gingerich (kgingerich@brethren.org) at least 2 weeks prior to your scheduled trip.
Upon arrival, BDM Project Leaders will welcome you and collect any incomplete paperwork. They will orient you to the project, covering such topics as house rules, work schedule, safety, tools, daily devotions, expectations, etc. Orientation does not begin until all participants arrive.
Driving
Arrival time for volunteers on Sunday evening will be between 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm with volunteer groups having eaten supper BEFORE arrival at the housing facility. We recommend that you enjoy one of the many dining options along your route.
Driving Directions
Driving directions can be obtained by reaching out to the BDM office.
For information on any local responses, contact your District Disaster Coordinator.
