BEATTYVILLE, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Kentuckians are no strangers to severe weather. Tornadoes, windstorms, mudslides, landslides, and even flooding are all events that come with living in the Commonwealth.
A recent report from ‘Rebuild by Design’ found that 91% of congressional districts in the US include counties that received a major disaster declaration between 2011 and 2023, which amounts to more than $100 billion in federal aid.
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Eight Kentucky counties made the top ten list of the highest disaster declarations by county, including Lee County, which most recently experienced severe flooding in March 2021.
Now, 3 years out, county officials reflect on the disaster.
Blake Stone, Lee County’s emergency management director, said, “(Our) main focus is to save lives. Save lives and get people electric, water, the basic needs.”
When these weather phenomena take place, it all comes down to being prepared. That’s a lesson Lee County officials learned pretty quickly.
“There was a flood that we were told would never happen with the dams and the locks on the rivers, that they would prevent that from ever happening here again. So, we were wholly unprepared, but we made do and made it through the night with no serious injuries anywhere and no fatalities anywhere in the town throughout the flood event,” said Lee County Circuit Clerk Tyler Phillips, who was also the captain of the search and rescue during the floods.
He sees a stark difference in their preparedness now versus three years ago.
“If it ever happens again, we’re a little more comfortable because we know where our strengths are, and our weaknesses are, Phillips said. “We know our equipment a little bit better, and then we just have a little bit of experience in a horrible situation.”
Just because an area experiences severe weather, though, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a declared natural disaster. That’s determined by the president after the area meets a financial threshold from the damage.
But for a small, rural area like Lee County, it doesn’t take much.
“Really, it doesn’t take a lot for us to hit that; you know, you take out one culvert or one bridge, and we’re pretty much there because there’s thousands of dollars to replace those properly,” says Slone.
Even in times when Mother Nature wreaks havoc, leaving businesses destroyed and homes unlivable, the true human spirit of people comes out.
Slone says, “When these things happen, you see the people pull together, and that’s a good thing. It’s a warm feeling to know a neighbor is going to pull together, neighbors helping neighbors, and that’s what happens when one of these floods happens.”
Phillips feels more prepared and ready for when a future disaster might strike.
“Mother Nature is in control, and sometimes you just have to deal with the circumstances she throws at you. Sometimes they’re inconvenient, sometimes they’re annoying, sometimes they’re significant, but, you know, we try our best,” he said.
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