University of Kentucky sends supplies, medical staff to help with flood relief
In the aftermath of last week’s deadly flooding in Eastern Kentucky, the University of Kentucky has been working to send medical supplies and staff to the region.
UK HealthCare operates multiple clinics in the region that were impacted by the flooding, and has been working to set up mobile clinics in the days since. Severe flash flooding hit Eastern Kentucky on July 28, leaving at least 37 people dead and countless properties in the region damaged. Among those damaged were some UK properties, including facilities at the Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability.
UK Police Chief Joe Monroe has been coordinating efforts between the university and the state’s emergency operations center to deploy people and supplies in the region. Medical supplies, other donations and volunteers have been sent to the areas impacted by flooding in recent days, Monroe said.
“One of the things that the university is very focused on, and President (Eli) Capilouto says a lot, is that we’re the University of Kentucky, but we’re also the university for Kentucky,” Monroe said. “That’s something that we take very seriously.”
The university has been sending medical supplies to the area, including IV fluids, tubing and vaccines. There is a huge need for hepatitis A and tetanus vaccines to help protect people from those infections, which a UK pharmacy team has been sent to help distribute, Monroe said.
Additionally, Kentucky Children’s Hospital has coordinated with Costco to get donations of clothing and other necessities that will be delivered to the area, Monroe said. UK’s Center for Rural Excellence in Healthcare, located in Hazard, has been working to deliver food, water and other supplies to the area, according to UK.
More than $2.4 million was raised during Tuesday’s telethon and open practice, hosted by the UK men’s basketball team, with proceeds going to benefit flood victims in Eastern Kentucky.
Robinson Forest, extension offices damaged in flooding
Several university properties sustained damage in the area, Monroe said, including teaching and research facilities at the Robinson Center in Quicksand and the June Buchanan Clinic in Hindman. Extension offices and UK HealthCare clinics in the region also had some damage.
The extent of the damage is not yet known, as some places are not accessible yet, he said. Staff has been working to clean the June Buchanan Clinic to reopen it as soon as possible, and mobile clinics are currently being used to help the community.
Daniel Wilson, director of the Robinson Center, said the flooding came quickly last week, and impacted about 12 structures on the property. The Robinson Center and Robinson Forest Camp are used for agricultural teaching and research, and also host events for the region.
Several of those structures have been completely destroyed, Wilson said, and others have damage that may be able to be repaired. The extent of the damage and repairs needed is not yet known, and Wilson said they are still “in salvage mode.”
“We tried to get out as much equipment and vehicles and tractors as we could, and we moved them to higher ground, but it happened fast,” Wilson said of the flooding.
Four employees were stranded at the Robinson Forest Camp without electricity and water until Saturday night, but all were able to leave safely once the road was passable, Wilson said. Research projects hosted at the Robinson Center were destroyed in the flooding. The Robinson Center and specialists from UK are working to determine what’s next for those projects, he said.
“The research projects, for all accounts and purposes, were underwater,” Wilson said. “We have some corn, hemp and things on site that were essentially destroyed by the floods.”
UK extension offices in the area were not heavily damaged, Wilson said, and most are planning to reopen on Thursday. The extension offices will be collecting donations for the area, he said. Extension office staff are among people in the area who have lost their homes. Wilson said they have been working with UK to get resources available to those staff members.
This is not the first time in recent months that UK properties have been damaged by natural disasters. In December, the tornadoes that swept across Western Kentucky destroyed the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton. The facility, which includes the Grain and Forage Center for Excellence and opened in 2019, was almost completely destroyed. UK received $9 million in the state budget to rebuild the center, which conducts research impacting grain and beef farmers.
University offers aid to students, employees impacted
The university has been working to contact the 1,100 students who live in the area through texts and phone calls, Monroe said. UK staff members check-in with the students and see if they have any needs, then work to assist those students, he said.
Students from Eastern Kentucky who were impacted by the flooding, and who had housing agreements with the university for the fall semester, are able to move to campus early if they are in need of housing, Monroe said.
As of Wednesday morning, 20 students had been in contact with UK because they had been impacted by last week’s floods, although none had yet requested an early move-in date, said Andrew Smith, assistant vice president of auxiliary services.
Several UK staff members were impacted by the floods and lost their homes, Monroe said. The university has been working with them to get the supplies they need, as well as counseling and other needs they may have. As of Wednesday, there had been no reports of any UK employees missing because of the floods, Monroe said.
Donations to help members of the UK community can be made to the university’s Basic Needs and Persistence Fund for students and the Crisis Program Gift Fund for faculty and staff. Donations to help statewide relief efforts can be made to the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund set up by the state.