climate disasters
KFTC seeks investigation of surface mining’s role in deadly Kentucky floods
A Kentucky advocacy group is calling on the federal government to launch an investigation into whether a legacy of surface coal mining in Eastern Kentucky exacerbated the catastrophic, deadly flooding the region faced last July. Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC), a progressive, grassroots organization known for lobbying on environmental issues, made public Monday a letter […]
Months after Eastern Kentucky floods, survivors weigh the future
JACKSON — When the 2021 Eastern Kentucky floods came, Nancy Herald’s basement filled to the rafters. She lost roughly 50 years of cherished Christmas decorations stored along the concrete wall, along with the washer, dryer and refrigerator. Because of that experience, the family thought they’d be ready when the 2022 floods came more than a […]
Some fear a region’s future hangs on legislature’s support for emergency affordable housing
FRANKFORT — Without significant state funding for new housing, “we’re going to experience the largest out-migration in Appalachian history,” Sen. Brandon Smith of Hazard told the Kentucky Lantern in a telephone interview just before 2023 began. Yet, despite the thousands of homes lost to last summer’s flooding, no significant housing proposal emerged during the legislature’s […]