By: Max Yang
In the July of 2022, another round of flooding laid waste to the eastern parts of Kentucky. The state has been battered by several catastrophes in recent years. Starting in 2020, Kentucky lost 16,000 citizens to COVID 19. In February of the 2021, one of the deadliest floods of Kentucky’s state history struck, demolishing the state. Then, in the same year, a tornado destroyed counties in December, taking the lives of over 70 people. The recent flooding struck right when the citizens just started to recover from the past catastrophes.
The disasters alone are deadly. However, they were made worse by the fact that almost all of them struck right when the citizens were recovering from previous catastrophes. During the tornado attack, the little town of Bremen was shredded by a malicious tornado. A nearby town, Hindman, immediately sent helpers and supplies. Then, during the floods in July, Hindman was one of the towns who suffered severely. After the water passed, Bremen, even though the town itself was still in reconstruction, sent provisions to Hindman straight away.
The places hit the hardest by the recent flood was in Knott, a county next to the Appalachians. All the water and rain caused mudslides in the towns near the mountains. This calamity took the lives at least 14 people, four of which are children. Homes were ruined and bridges leading to remote areas have been washed away, leaving many people left behind. In Breathitt County, an area struggling to recover from the floods in 2021, four deaths were confirmed in the most recent flooding, dozens are missing, and most of the county is still underwater. The citizens of this area faced the same problem as people in Knott—many bridges were washed away, leaving many people unable to return to safety.
Furthermore, the flood caused the cell phone service to be lost, leaving many people unaccounted for. The service is now restored in some areas, but places without the service still can’t contact loved ones or emergency aid. This disaster also knocked out power and water utilities. Repair crews are failing to fix the problems due to the hazardous conditions and unstable roads.
The citizens of Kentucky are growing wearier after each catastrophe. “I wish I could tell you why we keep getting hit here in Kentucky. I wish I could tell you why areas where people may not have much continue to get hit and lose everything. I can’t give you the why, but I know what we do in response to it. And the answer is everything we can.” The citizens of Kentucky are giving their all to withstand the several catastrophes in their way.
Resources: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/30/us/kentucky-flooding-natural-disasters.html