FRANKFORT, Ky. — At the corner of Murray Street and East Second streets in Frankfort, floodwaters have started receding, but plenty of people’s homes and cars remain entrenched in the murky mess.
The sight of what’s been affected is never easy to process for Reese Brownlee.
“Coming back living around here is really hard," he said. "It’s like losing part of yourself. You got to pick up and got to keep going.”
He and his wife, Roberta, were forced to evacuate their home this past weekend, but only got the chance to come back home Tuesday morning after near-record levels of flooding.
“It’s hard when you’ve got to move things, then move them back in, clean up and things like that," Reese said. "But I’ve been here all my life. Been through this three times. In the late '60s, we stayed in the house for seven days. Never had the chance to get out.”
Brownlee said he’s one of the lucky ones. The waters never breeched his home, but he’s lost all the food in his fridge and will be without power for a few more days.
“Help us down here," Brownlee said. "Help all over the state of Kentucky and wherever all the floods have been. Y’all listen to people that’s lived down in these areas; give us some help.”“Help us down here," Brownlee said. "Help all over the state of Kentucky and wherever all the floods have been. Y’all listen to people that’s lived down in these areas; give us some help.”
He said he's thankful for his life, but getting back on his feet will be hard because they live paycheck-to-paycheck.
Half a mile across the river, the First Baptist Church has been providing food to anyone who wanted it, both first responders and residents affected by the flooding.
Their senior pastor, Tiangello Hill, said he put out a message to social media Monday afternoon, and the public responded.
“People came in droves with bags from grocery stores bringing the meats that we needed, bringing bread, bringing drinks and chips and ice and paper plates," Hill said. "The city had really come together to help us help each.”
Franklin County Judge Executive Michael Mueller said Tuesday afternoon the Kentucky River measured out at 45 feet, the same height as when it flooded back in 1997. He continued to urge residents to stay safe and use caution while traveling.
