NEON, Ky. — Philip Fleming remembered the sound of the creek surging up under the home in Neon that used to belong to his grandparents—the one he spent almost two years fixing up.
“I’d never seen water move that fast,” he recalled. “It was like it had pressure behind it or something.”
On the July night that flooding devastated communities in Letcher County and elsewhere, the creek washed away part of his home’s foundation and a nearby bridge.
Now, he’s got a new roof over his head.
What You Need To Know
- When flooding hit eastern Kentucky in July, the creek washed away part of the foundation of Philip Fleming's home in Letcher County
- Fleming, his wife and daughter have been living with his parents nearby
- The Flemings used FEMA assistance to make a down payment on a new home
- The home was delivered this month
“There’s blocks coming loose and the floors are warping now and flooring coming up, so FEMA told us, do not spend the first night there,” he said.
Many eastern Kentucky families who were forced out of their homes could not rebuild, but the Flemings are starting over mere steps from where they used to live.
The family has been staying with Fleming’s parents since July, and after months that seemed to crawl by, he watched as the second part of their new 2,100-square-foot home came up Highway 317.
“Today we’re getting the last half of our double-wide,” he said, before snapping a photo on his phone.
“It’s going to feel rewarding,” he said. “A sense of accomplishment, even though we’ve been dealt such a hard blow, within such a short amount of time, we’ve been able to rebound back. There’s been so many people helping.”
It was a daunting task for the crew — squeezing the second half down the driveway and maneuvering it into place in front of the Fleming’s former house, that now sits empty.
“It seemed a little hairy to me, but they seem to know what they’re doing,” said Fleming.
FEMA assistance helped them make the down payment on the new home and it’s bigger than the one they lost, he said.
“It’s been unreal and… to be able to overcome this, it’s going to be nice to get back into our new normal once again,” said Fleming.
The family hoped to move into the new home by the end of the month and begin making new memories, grateful for all the hands that helped get them there.
“Christmas is ours,” said Fleming. “Christmas is at our house this year.”