KENTUCKY — Gov. Andy Beshear will visit displaced families who are staying at state parks in Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.
In a press release on Friday, the governor’s office announced that Andy Beshear, First Lady Britainy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman will travel to Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg on Saturday morning and then head to Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park in Buckhorn in the afternoon.
Since the devastating floods wracked the region July 26, Andy Beshear announced that three state parks were serving as makeshift shelters for anyone displaced from their home: Jenny Wiley, Buckhorn Lake and Pine Mountain. That list has grown to include Paintsville State Park.
As of Friday, 320 people were being housed at the four state parks — 172 at Jenny Wiley, 138 at Buckhorn Lake, 6 at Pine Mountain and 4 at Paintsville.
On Tuesday, Andy Beshear took a flyover trip to assess the damage, and he visited three of the counties affected by flooding in southeastern Kentucky, giving updates on what he saw along the way to the press.
On Aug. 8, the governor and first lady will host President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to survey the area and visit with families.
Saturday’s visit coincides with the 142nd Fancy Farm Picnic, an annual tradition for Kentucky politicians running for office. Previously, Beshear announced that he and the first lady would be on a trip to Israel and unable to attend this year. That was well before torrential rains and historic flooding razed the eastern part of the state. This is the second year in a row Beshear will be absent from the event.