KNOTT COUNTY, Ky. — The mantra “Kentuckians helping Kentuckians” continues in the most flood-ravaged parts of the state.
Many bridges have been destroyed, cutting off access to people’s homes. In Knott County, one man started working on a solution to help his neighbors get access to the main road.
What You Need To Know
- Many bridges have been destroyed, cutting off access to people’s homes
- As of Thursday, 27 state and county bridges remain impassible
- KYTC has identified 32 bridges that will need to be replaced and an additional 52 bridges that will need to be repaired in eastern Kentucky
- In Knott County, one man started working on a solution to help his neighbors get access to the main road
“This end was gone. This whole end was gone,” said Woodrow Patrick, who lives in Carrie, Kentucky.
The late July floods cut off Patrick and his neighbor’s access to the main road.
“I’m six feet tall so you look 12, 14 foot from here up,” Patrick said.
When the water receded, a gaping hole stared at them.
“I’ve never seen that. I’m 71. I’ve never seen a flood this big,” Patrick said.
It’s the bridge they used to travel across for years, but now it’s been wiped away by the strong waters.
“You drive up and down this road here, this land... It’s just devastation. People’s wiped out, homes lost, people’s lives lost, my neighbor out here got drowned. It’s just sad,” Patrick said.
So Patrick began helping his neighbors. He first repurposed a ladder from a garage, then got some logs.
“We went to the hills behind my house to cut this timber. Dragged it down here,” Patrick recalled.
He and his neighbors hammered away, creating a temporary bridge to find a solution.
“And we took a truck on the other side with a red devil on it and a handheld wench, and I pushed it in between the beams on the old bridge,” Patrick said.
Across eastern Kentucky, many bridges saw a similar fate. Dozens of years-old bridges were destroyed by the floods.
Soon after, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet began working on the property Patrick lives on in Knott County and started building another, temporary, more sturdy bridge to create a path for these families to access the main road.
“We’ll make it. We will make it,” Patrick said.
KYTC said as of Thursday, 27 state and county bridges remain impassible. They’ve identified 32 bridges that will need to be replaced and an additional 52 bridges that will need to be repaired in eastern Kentucky.