Kentucky has been facing deadly floods for the past few days, on top of dealing with the
damage left from previous disasters. Rebuilding the already struggling communities could prove difficult without help.
The most recent flood has left a wake of destruction in about six counties in the
Appalachian region on the eastern edge of Kentucky. At least 14 people, including 4 children,
have died in Knott County alone. Boats and helicopters have rescued more than 1,400 people
across the state, with thousands without electricity.
The flood pulled homes from their foundations and washed out bridges, leaving some
remote locations hard to access. Dan Mosley, the judge-executive for Harlan County said, “I’ve seen ditches formed where there weren’t ditches because of the rushing water.”
Any community would face tremendous loss when a disaster hits. But here, where rural
areas were already particularly vulnerable after decades of decline, disasters have been
especially calamitous.
“These places were not thriving before,” said Jason Bailey, the executive director of the
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, noting the loss of manufacturing jobs. “To even get back to where they were is a long road.” And this holds true, especially considering Kentucky’s recently rocky past.
“I wish I could tell you why we keep getting hit here in Kentucky,” Gov. Andy Beshear
said during a briefing discussing the death toll of the flood and the past recurring disasters.
Kentucky faced an ice storm last year cutting off the power of over 150,000 people, a flash flood last July that stranded people in their homes, and rare tornadoes in December that left a 200- mile area of devastation and killed 80 people.
“I wish I could tell you why areas where people may not have much continue to get hit
and lose everything,” the governor continued. “I can’t give you the why, but I know what we do in response to it. And the answer is everything we can.”
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/30/us/kentucky-flooding-natural-disasters.html
damage left from previous disasters. Rebuilding the already struggling communities could prove difficult without help.
The most recent flood has left a wake of destruction in about six counties in the
Appalachian region on the eastern edge of Kentucky. At least 14 people, including 4 children,
have died in Knott County alone. Boats and helicopters have rescued more than 1,400 people
across the state, with thousands without electricity.
The flood pulled homes from their foundations and washed out bridges, leaving some
remote locations hard to access. Dan Mosley, the judge-executive for Harlan County said, “I’ve seen ditches formed where there weren’t ditches because of the rushing water.”
Any community would face tremendous loss when a disaster hits. But here, where rural
areas were already particularly vulnerable after decades of decline, disasters have been
especially calamitous.
“These places were not thriving before,” said Jason Bailey, the executive director of the
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, noting the loss of manufacturing jobs. “To even get back to where they were is a long road.” And this holds true, especially considering Kentucky’s recently rocky past.
“I wish I could tell you why we keep getting hit here in Kentucky,” Gov. Andy Beshear
said during a briefing discussing the death toll of the flood and the past recurring disasters.
Kentucky faced an ice storm last year cutting off the power of over 150,000 people, a flash flood last July that stranded people in their homes, and rare tornadoes in December that left a 200- mile area of devastation and killed 80 people.
“I wish I could tell you why areas where people may not have much continue to get hit
and lose everything,” the governor continued. “I can’t give you the why, but I know what we do in response to it. And the answer is everything we can.”
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/30/us/kentucky-flooding-natural-disasters.html
