New funding will help build about 600 homes in KY counties hit by tornadoes, flooding
Kentucky communities afflicted by tornadoes and flooding in 2021 are set to receive $123 million in federal funding, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday.
Four counties will see 80% of that money, Beshear said at a Frankfort press conference. In Western Kentucky those counties are Graves, Warren and Hopkins — all hit hard by deadly tornadoes in December 2021.
Breathitt County in Eastern Kentucky — which was impacted by flooding in February 2021 and then again in last summer’s deadly flooding — will also receive funding. Beshear said to expect another announcement in the coming weeks related to 2022 flooding in Eastern Kentucky.
About 600 homes are estimated to be built with this round of funding, which is coming from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Beshear said. He also thanked Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell for his work in securing the funding.
“Those are 600 families that just this most recent funding will help ensure that they will have a roof over their head,” Beshear said.
Kathy Stewart O’Nan, the mayor of Mayfield in Graves County, said she’s thankful for the funding and has already watched new houses and rebuilding businesses start to pop up in town from prior work.
“We’re going to be resilient and rebuild and get people out of the floodplain,” said Laura Thomas, the mayor of Jackson in Breathitt County.
The remaining 20% of the funds will be split between 36 other counties also affected by the extreme weather.
Applications for the funding will open May 1 for local governments, nonprofits and for-profits who wish to use the money for building back housing, Beshear said. On June 1, applications for infrastructure-related projects will open. At the moment, no deadline is set for the applications.
Wednesday’s announcement comes about a month after federal officials announced that $298 million in funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for communities affected by the 2022 summer flooding.