LEXINGTON, Ky. — Permanent homes are coming to Jackson for families who were struck by an overnight flood that displaced hundreds last July.
Ashley Fallen, a Breathitt County native, and her four little ones are now signing the deed to their home.
But she and her family remember the night historic rainfall changed their lives forever, and they lost nearly everything they had.
Fallen recalls it happening all too quickly.
“It was very scary and with the previous flood it gave me anxiety,” she explained. “So that morning I got up at about 5 o’clock and realized the water was rising a lot faster than it should be and so at about 6 o’clock we got up and by 6:30 you couldn’t get back in. It was that fast.”
Since that time, Fallen and her family have stayed in both hotels and a temporary housing unit with the help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Now, Fallen and other families have the chance to make their temporary home a forever home.
Eligible families will have to submit a signed revocable license and obtain both flood and hazard insurance.
They must also be able to handle the functions and cost of the property once it is added to its permanent location.
Fallen says their experience has made her and her loved ones feel safer.
“I had been raising my niece and nephew for two years now and watching everything my little family had built just fill to the top with water was a very emotional thing, but it taught me that it’s not things we have but it’s the people we have that are most important,” Fallen said.
Along with the opportunity to purchase the temporary home they currently occupy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing up to $40,675 in federal funding to help people fulfill functional needs like sewer and water connections for their property.
Fallen says while they are still anxious about the unexpected, it’s a lot easier to manage with family, support and a permanent new home.