flood
Some ‘in limbo’ more than a year after deadly floods hit Eastern Kentucky
More than a year after four feet of water flooded her house, Nancy Herald still doesn’t know when – or if – she’ll return to the home that’s been in her family for nearly five decades. Driving past the homeplace, even, is too painful. Sometimes she goes inside; sometimes she just passes quietly. And sometimes, […]
Fourth ‘higher-ground’ homesite for Eastern Kentucky flood victims will be in Knott County
Another residential community to house survivors of last summer’s Eastern Kentucky floods will be in Knott County, along Chestnut Ridge Drive, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday. The news, along with the Thursday announcement of a Floyd County site, come on the heels of the one-year anniversary of devastating floods that killed 45 people. Flooding began […]
After flood anniversary, Beshear says $2 million will secure Floyd County rebuilding site
The day after the one-year anniversary of devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced plans to provide 34 single-family homes to house flood survivors. Beshear said Thursday that $2 million in Community Development Block Grant funds will be given to the county to acquire two vacant lots — a total of 34 acres […]
Donated site in Letcher County to house survivors of Eastern Kentucky floods
Local, state and federal groups are working together to secure housing for flood survivors in Letcher County. The fiscal court of the Eastern Kentucky county previously voted to transfer about four acres of property to develop a small housing site near Whitesburg. The land has space for 10 housing units. According to a recent news […]
How flood cleanup left Kentucky disaster victims feeling violated and vulnerable
This article is republished from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. On a steamy day in August, Don Young dug through the rubble that used to be his home. He was desperately trying to salvage the most precious possessions representing the life he’d made in the Letcher County community of McRoberts. Floods last July ravaged […]
Kentuckians lacked forecasting, broadband as July storms quickly swelled into deadly flood
This story is a collaboration between The Daily Yonder and Grist. For more, watch the Daily Yonder’s video “How Broadband and Weather Forecasting Failed East Kentucky.” Terry Thies wasn’t worried about the rain that pounded on her roof last July. She had received no flood warnings before going to sleep that night. Besides, her part […]
Beshear unveils plans for first ‘higher ground’ community near Knott-Perry line
HINDMAN — Surrounded by elected officials from around the region, Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday unveiled plans to build a new community on “higher, stable ground” at a former surface coal mine near the Knott-Perry county line in Talcum. Speaking at the Knott County Courthouse, Beshear said the couple who are giving 75 acres for […]
Politicians owe Kentuckians a serious conversation about climate change
How many times have we seen it? Disaster strikes. The media descend. For a few days, the world is mesmerized. Until something new beckons; the media move on. And the victims recede in our ever-shortening attention spans and are forgotten. I’m proud the Kentucky Lantern’s debut brought you journalism that does not move on and […]
$100 million for Kentucky flood recovery in Biden’s disaster-relief request to Congress
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration wants Congress to approve more than $37 billion to help communities throughout the country recover from various natural disasters, including Hurricanes Ian, which battered Florida and the Southeast U.S. in late September, and Fiona, which hit Puerto Rico. The supplemental funding request comes on top of a $9 billion COVID-19 […]