Officials announce link for victims of Eastern Kentucky flooding to get housing info
A new portal has been set up to help people affected by devastating flooding in Eastern Kentucky with housing.
People interested in information can log onto HousingCantWait.org, administered by Fahe, a housing organization in Central Appalachia.
State and local officials and housing advocates announced the link Friday at an event in Perry County.
“We are committed to helping flood survivors find their New Kentucky Home, and now, through the launch of Fahe’s intake form, the process is much easier and more help is available,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release.
Beshear urged people affected by flooding in Eastern Kentucky in 2021 and 2022 to log on for information.
Flooding those years destroyed or caused major damage to more than 2,100 homes in the region.
More than a dozen counties were affected, but the damage in 2022 was concentrated in Knott, Breathitt, Perry and Letcher counties.
State officials have attributed 45 deaths to the July 2022 flooding.
A release from Beshear’s office said Housing Can’t Wait, a coalition of non-profit builders and Fahe, has built 88 new houses and rehabilitated 305 others since the floods.
The state has helped develop seven of what it calls “high-ground” communities on land out of the flood plain, including developments on reclaimed surface mines.
The sites are the Cottages at Thompson Branch in Letcher County; New Hope Estates in Floyd County; Wayland in Floyd County; Chestnut Ridge in Knott County; Grand View in Letcher County; Olive Branch in Knott County; and Skyview in Perry County.
Beshear also directed $8.3 million to develop two housing sites in Breathitt County with a total of 28 homes, according to the release.
The state is using money donated to the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund to help build houses.
The builders helping with the homes include HOMES Inc., Housing Development Alliance, Appalachia Service Project, Partnership Housing, Frontier Housing and Christian Appalachian Project.
