WEST POINT, Ky. — Many West Point residents worked to get their lives back to normal on Sunday after severe flooding hit the community, which sits between the Salt and Ohio rivers. 

What You Need To Know

  • West Point experienced significant flooding from both the Salt and Ohio rivers 

  • Residents spent the weekend picking up the pieces and cleaning up their homes 

  • Many residents said their homes might not be salvageable

Francine Bramble cleared out her house piece by piece.

“It got up to here inside the house,” Bramble said as she pointed to just above the electrical outlets.

Before the floodwaters hit, Bramble packed up her belongings and stored it in an apartment out of harm's way.

“When you know when it's going to get your to your level, you have to go," Bramble said. "You don't play around." “When you know when it's going to get your to your level, you have to go," Bramble said. "You don't play around." 

The floors, dry wall and anything else touched by the water got tossed.

“Now I got to get all this stuff out and let it dry out so we can start on the repairs,” she said.

It was the third time the rivers flooded her home since living in West Point. 

“Each time the things that we do pays off on the next one,” Bramble said.

Homes in the trailer park across the street had a similar experience, but many residents said they didn't think their homes were salvageable. 

“Yeah, it's about to fall,” Stephanie Lanham said as her bookcase collapsed behind her.

The water ruined Lanham’s furniture, appliances and sentimental items. Everything in the home she moved into about six months ago went out. 

“I already have mold areas that are growing down here from all the water damage because it's been sitting like this for a week,” Lanham said.

With just about nothing left to her name, Lanham said she doesn’t plan on rebuilding her life in West Point.

“I’m looking to be probably up on a hill, preferably away from any type of body of water,” she said.“I’m looking to be probably up on a hill, preferably away from any type of body of water,” she said.

However, Bramble said she wasn't going anywhere.

“It's sad; it's just hard to keep dealing with this," she said. "But it's home. I'll always come back." 

Sunday was just the start of a long way back to normalcy. Hardin County Emergency Management urges people affected by the floods to take pictures of everything before cleaning up.

Related Stories