HAZARD, Ky. — For so many families along Troublesome Creek in Perry County, life will never be the same. More than a week after deadly flooding swept away homes and belongings in eastern Kentucky, an immense amount of work remains.
On Friday afternoon, Kimberly Terry stopped by her childhood home in Hazard while her father, Orby Campbell, 75, was out. “It’s just heartbreaking to look at and lose everything that was here,” she said. Family photos on the wall are among the few items untouched by the rising waters.
Campbell, a veteran who is widowed, has lived in the home more than 30 years.Even with all he’s lost, he can’t bear to leave it.
“He’s so stubborn, he’s sleeping on the front porch,” said Terry. “He won’t leave his house.”
A twin bed sat on the front porch Friday, with an Army uniform hanging above it. Campbell’s clothes were drying out on the fence.
This week has been overwhelming, but Terry said she is grateful to still have her family. “My neighbor lost his life,” she said. “We know several people, friends that have lost their lives in this, so we’re just blessed to be here.”
Terry said she thinks she can save her own home nearby, but the home she grew up in may be lost.
Help continues to arrive from around the region. On Friday afternoon, it came in the form of a food drop-off from Restoration Ministries in Laurel County.
“It’s really humbling to come and see what these people are going through,” said one volunteer. “You just pray the whole time you drive through. That’s all you can do.”