HINDMAN, Ky. — With many still stranded from catastrophic flooding last week, Greg May and his team from Pike County have been focused on giving flood victims one less thing to worry about. 

“We just think it’s important, early on… just get them hot meals and let them concentrate on all the other things,” said May, the chief operating officer of Utility Management Group. “They don’t have to worry about trying to find a meal.”

The group expected to feed about 500 people from outside Hindman City Hall on Saturday, preparing barbecue sandwiches and hot dogs. 

Since flooding devastated eastern Kentucky, May’s team has traveled from county to county, providing hot meals for anybody who might need one. 

“It’s pretty sad,” said May. “Until you get here and look at it, you have no idea. Pictures just don’t tell all the story.” 

 Rep. John Blanton (R, Salyersville) was helping to pack up meals to be delivered to flood victims. Some areas of Knott County were still without power or water Saturday, he said. 

“People are scared,” said Blanton. “They’re in survival mode. I also have a fear when this is all over, we’re already going through troubled times in eastern Kentucky with the loss of population, people moving out, and I’m hearing people say, ‘I just can’t go through it anymore. I’m not staying. I’m leaving.’ And we don’t want that. The mountain people are good, honest, hardworking people and you know, they’re going through devastation and I just hope that it doesn’t impact an even bigger exodus of our people here.“

He said rebuilding will take years and some may never recover, but for now, they’re just trying to help people get through each day.  

“This is a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” Blanton said. “Come and donate your time. We’ve got hundreds, if not thousands of homes that’s either completely gone or that need to be cleaned out.”