Officials: Recent Kentucky flooding brings record reports of home damage
Recent flooding in Kentucky reportedly damaged a record number of homes, state officials said Wednesday.
There have been 1,475 claims for individual assistance filed in the wake of the flooding, which followed soon after ice storms in early February that left more than 150,000 homes and businesses without power at one point, said Michael Dossett, director of Kentucky Emergency Management.
About half of those are for destruction of homes or major damage, Dossett said during a briefing in Hazard with Gov. Andy Beshear.
Beshear said there have been more reports of damage to homes than in any disaster on record.
Beshear declared a state of emergency Feb. 28 when forks of the Kentucky River and other waterways surged out of their banks because of heavy rainfall.
Dossett said some places got six inches or more of rain.
“We broke records, the wrong kind of records,” Dossett said.
Firefighters, police and volunteers did emergency rescues in more than 50 counties during the flooding, Dossett said.
Damage was widespread, but Estill, Lee, Owsley, Breathitt, Powell, Jackson, Clay and Johnson were among the hardest hit.
Damage assessments have not been completed.
State officials reiterated their resolve to seek a disaster declaration that would include assistance for individuals as well as federal money to repair roads and bridges.
