KENTUCKY — According to data released earlier this year from the Ohio River Valley Institute and Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, approximately 9,000 homes were damaged by the flood that occurred in southeastern Kentucky in July 2022. The report details that it will cost an estimated $450 million to $950 million to rebuild those homes, depending on how many are moved to safer, less flood-prone areas.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., joined this segment to discuss the ongoing efforts to provide relief and rebuild safer homes for the people affected by last year’s catastrophic flooding and dangerous landslides.
Some of those actions include:
The Kentucky National Guard and their counterparts in Tennessee and West Virginia, as well as Kentucky State Police and Fish and Wildlife, saved 1,400 lives.
Beshear immediately declared a state of emergency, activated the state’s price gouging laws and set up a resource site where those affected could access information in one place
The governor also signed the $212.7 million Eastern Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies into law
Eastern Kentucky has received more than $281 million in federal assistance
The Office of Unemployment also assisted with Disaster Unemployment Assistance for those eligible
Over 200 people have been hired through these efforts through the program. These teams also offered employment assistance, support for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and more through our resource centers
360 individuals were provided temporary shelter and resources through Kentucky State Parks
Over 380 households took shelter through the Commonwealth Sheltering Program
You can watch the full In Focus Kentucky segment in the player above.