Our first impulse when disaster strikes is to help. The devastating flooding of Eastern Kentucky in 2022 saw Kentuckians rallying around one another to offer what we had to make recovery happen as quickly as possible. But, recovery has required more help and more time than any of us initially thought. It’s now been more than a year post-flood and many families are still waiting for their home repairs to be completed due to funding and capacity of organizations to handle a need this great. Enter, LTRGs.  

“What are the gaps and how can we fill them in?” Jimmy Owsley, former board member and one of the foundational members of the Floyd County Disaster Recovery Coalition, sees this as the role for each county’s Long Term Recovery Groups (LTRG). A LTRG is a cooperative body made up of members of the community from all walks of life. Initial disaster response calls after the July 2022 floods, organized by Kentucky VOAD, led many communities to create their own county-wide LTRGs. 

Creating a line of communication between one another, LTRGs offer nonprofits, faith-based groups, government, businesses, individuals, and organizations the opportunity to work together in a coordinated attempt to assist individuals and families as they recover from disaster. Networking, bridging gaps, and offering coordination between all the good works already being done, LTRGs sprung up in Breathitt, Floyd, Pike, Knott, and Perry counties last year, and have since proven that we work best when we work together. 

“We have been fortunate that we have all these nonprofits in the area that have existing home repair programs operating year round. They’ve been able to absorb a lot of the need that emerged through the flood,” said Kalen Ousley, coordinator of the Floyd County Disaster Recovery Coalition (Floyd County’s LTRG)

Most communities were unprepared to handle a disaster of this capacity. The floodwaters impacted homes and businesses across our region and left millions of dollars in damage behind in communities already experiencing a housing crisis. To give a sense of the magnitude, FEMA received more than 16,000 claims applications. In a new report from the Ohio River Valley Institute and Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, it is estimated it will cost between $450 to 950 million to rebuild the approximately 9,000 homes damaged in the 13 counties that were declared a natural disaster.  That report can be read here. 

During the initial response communities began to overflow with donations like water, clothes, and supplies sent in from across the nation. Herculean efforts were put forward by local, state, federal agencies, as well as churchers, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals to fill in the gaps and lend a hand. The immense amount of aid, volunteers, and supplies that poured in was welcomed with gratitude, though it also caused crossed wires that made distribution overwhelming, and still left the threat of long-term needs, like housing and case work, hanging in the air. 

LTRGs coordinated efforts to ensure short-term needs were met, connecting families with temporary housing and case workers, while support from across Kentucky continued to pour in. Over $13.2 million dollars was raised by Team Kentucky alone. Distributions and pledges from the fund include:

• $440,000 in funeral expenses to the families of the deceased
• Over $4 million in $500 checks to survivors approved for any amount of FEMA assistance.
• $1.175 million committed for building new homes ($975,000) and home repair ($200,000) with nonprofit partners: Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Housing Development Alliance and Homes Inc. 
• The balance will be used to build homes in new high-ground communities

With the additional federal and state funding for infrastructure and housing repair, there is now an estimated $409 million in funds available for flood mitigation. 

The coordination between organizations facilitated by LTRGs has created opportunities to leverage grants, like those facilitated by Team Kentucky and Grant Ready Kentucky, and to get construction supplies and household needs like appliances and furniture to families, as well as to store supplies for future events and ongoing needs at local Disaster Recovery Centers, get families caseworkers to assist in the bureaucratic process of buy-outs, and even create healing opportunities like community celebrations and access to mental health resources. They have become a vital part of the recovery process. What is necessary for the future success of the LTRGs is community and local government buy-in to these systems. 

Communities need to create Flood Emergency Plans, finding space and organizations in the community to handle the load of case work for families, attending LTRG meetings where the needs of the communities are assessed and addressed, and working to apply functional systems. Utilizing a template like this Pocket Template for Disaster Recovery (found here) creates a guide that can be referenced at any time to identify who fills which needs within the community. This can help local government or quasi-governmental organizations, like LTRGs, plan to prepare before a future disaster.

Recovery doesn’t happen alone, we’re stronger together. 

Helpful Hint #1 Grantreadykentucky.org is an invaluable resource for recovery in these communities. Committed to helping Kentucky’s nonprofits get more grant funding, they’ve created a hub for communities that connects them with the funding and professionals necessary to bring their projects to life. They have a database full of open funding opportunities, including opportunities like the G.R.A.N.T program. The Government Resources Accelerating Needed Transformation Program  (G.R.A.N.T.), was established with a $2 million fund to match federal grants for priority county projects and administer the programs since one of the top barriers to federal grant funding for small communities is the ability to meet cash match or cost-sharing for grant applications. They also offer Kentucky nonprofits free 1-on-1 sessions with grant professionals. These sessions allow you to ask questions about a grant application or offer guidance if you need help getting started with grants. 

Helpful Tip #2 Red Cross Disaster Action Team needs volunteers to continue their relief efforts, details for volunteer opportunities in flood impacted communities can be found at  https://www.kyfloodvolunteers.com/ 

Helpful Tip #3  Communities can see a detailed plan to create their own preparations within the national LTRG guide. https://www.nvoad.org/wp-content/uploads/longtermrecoveryguide-final2012.pdf

About this story series:

Mountain Association is partnering with What’s Next EKY?! and Vision Granted to host a series of stories showcasing the incredible flood relief efforts across the region in response to the flood on July 28, 2022. With a goal to share hope and spark new ideas about ways you can help in your own community, these stories will showcase the creativity and hard work of local people, provide helpful flood recovery tips, and feature stories of neighbors helping neighbors. If you have a story or helpful tip to share, please contact visiongrantedconsulting@gmail.com. Please learn more about this series here.

The post Recovery Is a Team Effort: How Communities Banded Together After the Flood to Make Lasting Change appeared first on Mountain Association.

As mayor of Wayland and lifelong “Waylander,” Jerry Fultz has seen floods come and go since he was a young boy. He experienced the historic floods of 1957 and 1963, and has recovered from nearly 20 more during his tenure– but the flooding of Right Beaver Creek in July 2022 was exceptional. 

“We learned we weren’t prepared, but even if we had been prepared, we wouldn’t have been for that one,” Mayor Fultz said as he shared with us some of the insights and lessons learned through his 12 years as mayor in such a flood prone community. 

“One of the things we’ve done a poor job of is educating the public enough about flood insurance.” 

FEMA requires homeowners to buy flood insurance if they previously received help from the emergency management agency. If homeowners fail to acquire insurance after being given aid by FEMA once, claims from future floods will be denied. 

“In regards to Wayland’s Community Center, we didn’t have flood insurance. We did until 5 years ago and the cost was $5,000 a year for structure, not contents. Structure and contents, we couldn’t have paid it to begin with. The way I saw it we were a foot off the base flood elevation with a block structure. It saved us $5,000 a year to stop purchasing flood insurance, but in the long run it cost us $350,000, so looking back, it was a bad decision, but at the time it made sense. I thought we could spend those monies on other things we need, and we did, but at a greater cost when a flood we never thought would come came.” 

Without insurance, the $350,000 necessary to repair Wayland’s Community Center came from donations from neighbors, friends, family, faith-based groups, nonprofits, and grants. 

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides affordable insurance to property owners and encourages communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations, such as the flood insurance ordinance FEMA has required from Wayland. The NFIP is managed by FEMA and has created a database of more than 50 insurance companies. Flood insurance is available to anyone living in one of the nearly 23,000 participating NFIP communities.

How To Purchase Flood Insurance 

• You can purchase flood insurance directly through your insurance provider.
• If you don’t have insurance or your provider doesn’t cover flood insurance, a list of NFIP insurers can be found here. 
• When there is an official Presidential Disaster Declaration, NFIP flood insurance policyholders are encouraged to apply for FEMA disaster assistance in addition to their flood insurance claim.

Who Is Required to Have Insurance?

• Homes and businesses in high-risk flood areas with government-backed mortgages.
• Homes and businesses in high-risk flood areas that have received federal disaster assistance – including grants from the FEMA or low-interest disaster loans from the SBA.
• Homeowners must maintain flood insurance in order to be considered for any future federal disaster aid.

How To File a Flood Insurance Claim 

• When your property floods, report the loss to your flood insurer as soon as possible. These reports can be filed remotely as you wait for conditions to become safe to return.
• Take reference photos and/or videos of your flood damaged property and personal items, and include flood water lines on the inside and outside of the affected building/s. Document the make, model and serial number for appliances and electronics to share with your adjuster.
• Keep samples of flood-damaged items, including carpet or flooring, curtains, appliances, personal items, etc. to show your adjuster. It’s said that the better the paper trail, the easier the flood claims process will be.

“Our hope and our future is not insuring against the floods but lessening the chances of future floods. We’ve applied for a couple of mitigation grants that will lessen the chance of flooding that have been approved. That’s warning systems like sirens and generators, that’s flop gates and pumps, that’s replacing our culvert with an open span bridge,” Mayor Fultz encouraged. 

The Mountain Sports Hall of Fame, the historic gym in Wayland, sits well above the floodplain and became a disaster hub to the community after the flood and Wayland has grants in process that would better equip the facility to host these needs.

“Now the major piece I can’t address is dredging the creek and cleaning the streams, but those would have to be carried out at the state level. There are several places where we can hold water back and we can control the flooding. Maybe even looking ahead, I can see where there needs to be some areas best served by dams, holding water back in a controlled manner. Those are measures that we need to be thinking forward and not thinking backward. What we’ve done in the past is cleanup and just get ready for the next one.” 

Thinking about ideas like dredging the creeks, potential dams, sirens and generators, swift water rescue for local volunteer organizations, and stream restoration are ideas that will require concentrated efforts from the community level all the way through the state and even federal investment. Mayor Fultz reminds us that being proactive is our best measure in ensuring our health and homes can survive what flooding may look like in the future. 

“We have a demonstrated need; we need the resources. If areas of the county,  incorporated or not incorporated, don’t have the resources then we must look at what we can do as a whole, through combined efforts at a city, county, and state level to allocate resources to those areas in a time of need.” 

His statements reiterate the theme we’ve seen throughout the entire recovery process: we work best together.

Helpful Tip 1: NFIP has extensive resources on the insurance process to help inform you of the process at https://www.floodsmart.gov/ 

Helpful Tip 2: If your community was impacted by flooding, here are open mitigation programs offered by FEMA and USDA: https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/summary-fema-hazard-mitigation-assistance-hma-programs and https://www.rd.usda.gov/resources/rural-development-disaster-assistance

About this story series:

Mountain Association is partnering with What’s Next EKY?! and Vision Granted to host a series of stories showcasing the incredible flood relief efforts across the region in response to the flood on July 28, 2022. With a goal to share hope and spark new ideas about ways you can help in your own community, these stories will showcase the creativity and hard work of local people, provide helpful flood recovery tips, and feature stories of neighbors helping neighbors. If you have a story or helpful tip to share, please contact visiongrantedconsulting@gmail.com. Please learn more about this series here.

The post Flood Veteran Shares Valuable Lessons Learned: Make Sure You’re Covered appeared first on Mountain Association.

Flooding in Kentucky can’t be prevented. Our geography and history prove that flooding is an unfortunate inevitability of the place we call home. In the case of last year’s July 2022 floods, huge efforts have been made to make safe housing available above the floodplain with nearly $300 million in government funds released to 20 flood impacted counties to aid in housing solutions. However, familial properties passed down through generations are settled in these hills and hollers.

Some families choose not to leave – the pride of that land runs deep, even if that means another flood is a matter of “when” not “if”. For many, it’s also not financially possible to leave, and equally as hard to repair damage flood after flood.  

Whatever our situation, how do we ensure we’re prepared to protect our homes against the next flood? 

Know Your Flood Risk

A quick search here can be done to see if your home is prone to flood hazards. Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. FEMA suggests doing an annual “insurance check-up” with your agent to make sure you have the right coverage and amounts of coverage. It is important to note that SBP, disaster recovery experts, suggests that everyone have flood insurance if they can afford it, because flood plain maps are only a guess and not a guarantee. 

Make A Plan

We saw our communities leap into action last year, neighbors helping neighbors. We also saw that we were unprepared for disasters of this magnitude and there is a need for coordination in our efforts. Individuals in flood prone areas should make a family safety plan detailing: 

• How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?
• What is my shelter plan?
• What is my evacuation route?
• What is my family/household communication plan?
• Do I need to update my emergency preparedness kit? Details on what to include in your kit can be found here. 

A family plan can be made using this template and filling in your family’s information. Store this in a high, dry place with your emergency preparedness kit and other important documents and discuss the plan with your family so everyone is informed. Since we can’t predict where we’ll be when high waters come (or forest fire), it’s ideal to have these plans and kits stored in multiple places (the car, at work, at home). 

Communities Also Need to Plan

Communities should also implement their own plans. Many counties formed “Long Term Recovery Groups” after July 2022. For example, the Floyd County LTRG, renamed Floyd County Disaster Recovery Coalition, was formed “to coordinate disaster recovery services, to communicate effectively, and to prepare for future disasters in Floyd County.” They have since been able to refine a system that makes meeting people’s post-disaster needs simple and effective, and create a comprehensive community resource guide that details who does what post-disaster (i.e. churches that offer aid, volunteer aid organizations, FEMA resources, and first responders more). 

Additionally, a great idea that emerged from their work was putting together a community  “disaster trailer.” Floyd County’s disaster trailer is hosted at St. Vincent Mission, a nonprofit that serves their area, and is ready to mobilize at any moment. The trailer is loaded with loaner tools, ranging from extension cords, to power tools, to mops, buckets and personal protective equipment, like masks and gloves. The trailer is intended to be used by volunteers to immediately start cleaning and repairing homes, but tools can also be used by community members to make repairs themselves with equipment that they don’t have or may have lost to disaster. 

Together, these proactive steps create an opportunity to overcome one of the most uncontrollable factors of our region. 

Helpful Tip 1: Find information and resources for creating your family’s Disaster Safety Plan, including templates, kit checklists, and more, visit  https://www.ready.gov/plan 

Helpful Tip 2: Learn how you can assist your community. If you’re in the Floyd County area, for example, the Floyd County Disaster Recovery Coalition hosts monthly public meetings on Mondays at 2:30pm in Prestonsburg. For more information, check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Floyd-County-Long-Term-Recovery-Group-100087629472613/ . For information on other LTRGs, email info@mtassociation.org.

About this story series:

Mountain Association is partnering with What’s Next EKY?! and Vision Granted to host a series of stories showcasing the incredible flood relief efforts across the region in response to the flood on July 28, 2022. With a goal to share hope and spark new ideas about ways you can help in your own community, these stories will showcase the creativity and hard work of local people, provide helpful flood recovery tips, and feature stories of neighbors helping neighbors. If you have a story or helpful tip to share, please contact visiongrantedconsulting@gmail.com. Please learn more about this series here.

The post Get Prepared: What You Can Do Before The Next Disaster appeared first on Mountain Association.

Wayland is an old coal camp that sits along Route 7 in South Floyd County, Kentucky. Though flooding has impacted Wayland for decades, recent increases in frequency and devastation have left the town wondering how they can keep moving forward. About a year and a half before last July’s historic flooding, they had faced three 100-year floods within just one month.

In July, countless flood veterans again saw their homes under water levels that they had never seen before. The town’s Community Center and medical facility – the heart of business in Wayland – was rendered unusable due to the flood’s effects on the foundation. Slowly, pieces have been coming together for residents and the town’s infrastructure. After tireless efforts by Mayor Jerry Fultz to get the community building back up and running, it will open in the coming weeks. And a recent Community Gathering brought residents together to envision a plan for what still needs to take place.

With support from many local partners, including the Mountain Association, and guidance from consultant Ruthie Caldwell from Vision Granted, the town recruited two full-time Americorps VISTA volunteers, Uzi Uresti and Jessy Workman, to carry out the town’s long-term vision to become a place where residents and visitors feel safe, healthy, welcome, and connected. These volunteers are invested in making Wayland a community that has access to good jobs, affordable housing, and recreational opportunities, and they’re taking notes from Waylanders on how they want to see that done.

The VISTAs teamed up with several community partners to host the Community Gathering in Wayland with a goal to bring together a community drawn apart by time, the impact of Covid-19, and disaster, to discuss what makes their town special and shared ideas to drive development forward. The night of visioning, storytelling, and fellowship was supported by University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Floyd County Community Foundation, University of Kentucky Floyd County Cooperative Extension, St. Vincent Mission, and Christian Appalachian Project. The event featured live music performed by the traditional bluegrass band Brayden Williamson and Friends.

Neighbors joined each other in the same gym they played in together as kids that has become the place where they come when flood waters rise, and where they gather and send to aid their neighbors in disaster. Music filled the air as people filled their plates and settled in as the VISTAs introduced themselves and the facilitators. Then the folks of Wayland got to work, they told stories of moments that made them proud to be from Wayland, then broke off into groups and spent the night offering solutions to issues like quality of living, jobs, housing, tourism, and flooding.

Fire fighters, musicians, war veterans, teachers, coal miners, life-long friends who have faced countless hardships together, and family came together to create a roadmap for the next generation. The night ended in hugs and gratitude as attendees who were impacted by the flood (75% of attendees had been flooded) left with gift cards provided by the Floyd County Community Foundation.

With a renewed sense of community, the VISTAs plan to use this feedback to move projects along that focus on flood mitigation and cleanup, revitalized downtown areas, new businesses and jobs for the community, and improved recreational opportunities. Many of the ideas shared by community members are already in the works. More than a dozen town members volunteered their skills and time to help with future projects in the town and many offered to host classes to share their skills with others.

Events like this can be simple and cost-effective to host in your own town to encourage fellowship and community engagement. VISTAs planned this event by taking fliers door to door, encouraging a potluck bring-a-dish meal, and gathering some pens and paper. If you have any questions regarding planning an event like this, please contact Jessy Workman at jessy@waylandhistorical.org.

Please note: Wayland is still seeking a 3rd VISTA to join their team. The AmeriCorps VISTA program is a one-year, full-time paid position to help fight poverty by aiding local organizations in expanding their capacity to make change

The post Wayland Residents Gather to Plan Their Recovery appeared first on Mountain Association.

When the flood hit, the town of Wayland in Floyd County was severely damaged – the Community Center in particular. The Center is the heart of the town of about 400 people. It houses the health clinic, community meeting space, city offices, and multiple museums, and is owned and operated by the Wayland Historical Society. The town has pulled together to fundraise in order to complete the needed repairs before it can re-open to the public. And they are trying to make their funds go even further by looking into rebuilding in an energy-smart way.

In January, energy experts from the Mountain Association will be visiting the community center to assess ways to lower energy costs and share information about new tax credits. The town hopes this partnership will lower energy bills and help community buildings become more resilient.

Since the center is already being repaired, this is a perfect time for the Mountain Association’s energy experts to complete the free energy assessment. This assessment will provide them with recommendations to help the community center become more energy efficient and will also provide an estimate on the costs and potential savings for installing solar panels. With the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022, in 2023, nonprofits will be able to access the 30-50% federal solar tax credit in the form of a direct payment. This means that it will now make even more economic sense for nonprofits (and other organizations) to consider solar.

So far, the process to get a free energy assessment has been very simple, reports Uzzi Uresti, Wayland’s new full-time volunteer who is helping coordinate the energy assessment.

“It started with an online application that took about five minutes to complete. Then, the Mountain Association’s Energy Team contacted us to set up a meeting and asked the Historical Society to send 12 months of energy bills. Then a week later, we had a zoom call with the Mountain Association to discuss. Next month they will meet in person to tour buildings owned by the nonprofit and complete the energy assessment.” 

Other businesses, government entities, and nonprofits in Wayland or the surrounding area are also invited to join the list of energy assessments planned in January. (To get started, sign up for a free energy assessment here!)

Last month, Uzzi, who is an AmeriCorps VISTA, moved to Wayland from Texas to serve the town. Over 12 months, he will coordinate flood relief efforts and help local community members work together to rebuild. The AmeriCorps VISTA program is a one-year, full-time paid opportunity to help fight poverty by assisting local organizations in expanding their capacity to make change in their local communities. Uzzi hopes others will join him soon as Wayland is seeking applications to bring on two more AmeriCorps VISTAs (Applicants should apply here by December 20).

“It’s been amazing. The people here are very welcoming, loving and grateful. I would highly recommend becoming an AmeriCorps VISTA to anyone interested in helping others in need. It’s good for the soul.”

Donate: To fund rebuilding efforts in Wayland, donations are being accepted by the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky through the Higher Ground Kentucky account at: Higher Ground Kentucky (fcsuite.com). Higher Ground Kentucky is a new nonprofit organization based in Floyd County, with a mission to help Eastern Kentucky communities overcome persistent flooding, starting with Wayland, KY. Visit their Facebook page Higher Ground Kentucky (facebook.com).

Helpful Tip 1: The Mountain Association offers free energy assessments to businesses, non-profits, and government organizations in Eastern Kentucky. Find more info here:  Energy | Mountain Association (mtassociation.org) or Rebuilding with Energy Savings in Mind | Mountain Association (mtassociation.org)

Helpful Tip 2: AmeriCorps has many programs that can help with flood relief and community programs that fight poverty or provide relief during a disaster. For instance, AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps State & National, and AmeriCorps NCCC. Nonprofits and government agencies in Eastern Kentucky can apply to host AmeriCorps members in their community. Wayland is currently seeking two more AmeriCorps VISTAs to serve as paid volunteers for one-year to help with flood relief and fighting poverty. 

About this story series:

Mountain Association is partnering with What’s Next EKY?! and Vision Granted to host a series of stories showcasing the incredible flood relief efforts across the region in response to the flood on July 28, 2022. With a goal to share hope and spark new ideas about ways you can help in your own community, these stories will showcase the creativity and hard work of local people, provide helpful flood recovery tips, and feature stories of neighbors helping neighbors. If you have a story or helpful tip to share, please contact visiongrantedconsulting@gmail.com. Please learn more about this series here.

The post Wayland, KY is Working Together to Rebuild appeared first on Mountain Association.

“Books act as a gateway for children to experience the world, expand their imaginations, and sometimes even escape from difficult realities.”

Amber Crawford, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Pikeville’s Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, stated on the flyer she created asking for book donations for her former elementary and middle schools after the devastating flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Amber was in Pikeville for clinical rotations when her mom initially reached out to her about the rising flood waters near her Letcher County home.

“I didn’t realize just how bad it was until I got on social media. Over the next few days, Mom sent me photos of devastation – from my great aunt’s house being overtaken by water, to the school where she is a K-5 STEM teacher (my former elementary school) being ruined. That really hit me.” 

Just days prior to the historic flooding, with the beginning of the school year just weeks away, her mother’s friends and colleagues had been sharing photos and stories about decorating and organizing their classrooms. All of that work had been destroyed.

“At least four Letcher County grade schools were basically totaled, with three of them – West Whitesburg Elementary, Whitesburg Middle School, and Martha Jane Potter Elementary having been under four feet of water.”

Amber, naturally, wanted to help. She anticipated that many organizations would flock to the area to provide donations to meet immediate needs of food, water, and clothing.

“I remembered how I LOVED to read, starting around third grade. I was the kid checking out a new library book every other day, always choosing to read as my free time activity. Books meant so much to me at an early age.”

Amber decided to try to organize a book donation drive, to replenish the libraries at her former elementary and middle schools – West Whitesburg Elementary and Whitesburg Middle School. She created a flyer and shared it on Facebook. The response was tremendous. She noticed people from all over sharing her flyers on social media, and information about the book drive also spread through word of mouth, reaching further than she could have ever imagined.

Initially, she was meeting individuals to collect donated books at designated drop-off points and collecting monetary donations via Paypal. However, the response was so large that a Letcher County school librarian, Sharie Bailey, ended up fielding calls and arranging donation drop-off in a central location at Letcher County Central High School. This way, they were able to coordinate distribution to not just the two schools that Amber Crawford hoped to assist, but to all flood damaged Letcher County elementary and middle schools.

Combined with Sharie’s own efforts to replenish lost libraries, book donations to Letcher County Public Schools have numbered tens of thousands. 

“I had one group alone that brought five thousand books at one time,” Sharie said. “Without the donations, I wouldn’t have had anything for my elementary and middle school libraries.”

Efforts to sort, catalog, and distribute donated books to the affected schools are still ongoing.

Bailey’s Amazon Wish List for ongoing donations of books and supplies to establish temporary school and classroom libraries for flood damaged Letcher County schools is available here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2SVABP13MZ3PO?ref_=wl_fv_le#

Helpful Tip #1: Utilize social media to get the word out.

Amber Crawford’s book drive flyer took off on Facebook, triggering donations from a wide geographic area – from a large donation of books from a school in Virginia, to monetary donations from students at Eastern Kentucky University.  “Facebook and Twitter were great avenues to get the word out that we needed books,” Sharie Bailey shared.

Helpful Tip #2: Be specific about needs for supply drives. 

Sharie created an Amazon Wish List with specific educational book titles and collections. She used it to purchase items for school libraries with donated funds, and donors could use the list as a reference when collecting gently used books to donate, or purchase directly from the wish list to ship to the distribution center. 

There were some donated items that could not be used in the school libraries due to their contents or conditions. “Being specific about our needs from the start is something I would do differently if there were ever a next time,” Bailey stated.

Helpful Tip #3: Explore existing resources.

The Kentucky Department of Education has a School Crisis and Emergency Response/Recovery webpage with resources to help schools and school districts recover from a crisis: https://education.ky.gov/school/sdfs/Pages/School-Crisis-and-Emergency-Response-Resources.aspx

About this story series:

Mountain Association is partnering with What’s Next EKY?! and Vision Granted to host a series of stories showcasing the incredible flood relief efforts across the region in response to the flood on July 28, 2022. With a goal to share hope and spark new ideas about ways you can help in your own community, these stories will showcase the creativity and hard work of local people, provide helpful flood recovery tips, and feature stories of neighbors helping neighbors. If you have a story or helpful tip to share, please contact visiongrantedconsulting@gmail.com. Please learn more about this series here.

The post Letcher County Schools Receive Thousands of Books Post-Flood appeared first on Mountain Association.

“I have never felt so defeated in my entire life!,” Kara Tackett declared on her Facebook page after her third denial for FEMA assistance following the historic flooding in eastern Kentucky in late July. 

The Tacketts, a family of eight, found themselves homeless after flood waters caused catastrophic damage to their home in Pike County. As a result, the family was separated, living with other family members, wherever there was room. They would be denied FEMA assistance two more times before hope came in the form of a local church delivering a camper that, as luck would have it, slept eight.  

Their first FEMA denial stated that because they had homeowners’ insurance, they weren’t eligible. But because their policy did not cover flooding the insurance company suggested an application for FEMA assistance. 

“The FEMA people have been very nice in trying to help us,” Tackett stated in a news story on WYMT. “But we’ve been denied four times now.” 

Multiple documentation submissions later, the Tacketts were going to have to appeal the FEMA rejection and were told that process could take up to 90 days. 

“My baby will be here in three months,” Kara, expecting her seventh child, lamented on social media. “What are we supposed to do?” 

The Tackett family longed to be together under one roof as soon as possible, enjoying mom’s cooking.

Enter Bek Smallwood, a member of New Beginnings Fellowship Church in downtown Pikeville. Immediately after the flooding, Bek and her husband, Tim, felt compelled to help lead flood relief efforts facilitated by the church. They made several trips alongside other church members to Elkhorn City, as well as to Whitesburg and Letcher County, delivering supplies and helping in cleanup efforts. However,  it was the WYMT news story and a public Facebook post written by Kara Tackett that grabbed Bek’s attention. 

“I read her story. I didn’t know her, but I told Tim, ‘This bothers me’,” she said. 

As a mother herself, Bek Smallwood couldn’t imagine being separated from her children following such a horrific, life-changing event.Meanwhile, New Beginnings Fellowship Church ramped up their flood relief efforts, setting up a specific flood relief fund for monetary donations, serving as a hub for supply donations, and housing several volunteer teams from out of towne. Jared Arnett, New Beginnings lead pastor, was contacted by Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) about a family who had requested assistance in getting tents and outdoor restrooms so they could live together while they were waiting on repairs to their flood-damaged house. CAP does not serve Pike County, but knew Arnett and hoped the church could go check on the family to see what their needs were and if they could help.Jared called Bek Smallwood, “So we thought, what if we could get this family a camper to stay in, together, while their house was being worked on?” 

Though the church flood relief fund had raised a few thousand dollars, it would be difficult to spend several thousands of dollars on a camper for one family. “Bethany Pastor Arnett’s wife) said, ‘Tonight, I’m going to pray for God to bring us a camper!’ I said, ‘Alright, Beth, you do that,’” Smallwood laughed.  Bek started calling some contacts she knew at RV dealerships, and Arnett took the need to Facebook, again utilizing social media in search of help.

“We hoped to find something used, maybe in the $2,000 range,” Jared Arnett reported. Then, the next day, someone rang the doorbell at the church. It was a man who had seen Arnett’s post on Facebook. He said “I have a camper.” 

He offered it to them for $500. The  camper was in relatively good shape and slept eight, the exact number of members of the Tackett family.

Church members cleaned the camper, did some basic repairs, and provided some necessities – linens, supplies, even a little décor, and delivered the camper to the Tackett family’s front yard.

“I received a message from Bek, just out of the blue,” Kara Tackett reported. “I had never met her, and she didn’t know me from Adam, but I called her, and I’m so thankful that I did! At this point, I was in tears, because we had been praying for this! Without [New Beginnings Fellowship Church], we wouldn’t have been able to be together again by now, or be near our home that we are working to rebuild!”

Through efforts coordinated by the church, the Tackett family has also had several mission teams working on repairs to their home, and these teams have lodged at New Beginnings Fellowship Church, with some food provided by FaithLife Market, a division of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, FaithLife Ministries. Most mission teams are from Lifeline Christian Mission, and one from Together For the Mountains, an initiative led by New Beginnings Pastor Jared Arnett in conjunction with Southland Christian Church in Lexington. 

“Our main goal is to have them back in their house before she has that baby, and I believe it’s going to happen!” Bek Smallwood proclaimed in mid-October. 

Kara Tackett’s baby is due in late November.  

“We’ve become great friends,” Bek said about Kara and herself. “I call her up all the time and ask how things are going, how’s the baby? And she’s been telling me that with the help of the mission teams, areas of their house are starting to look and feel like home again. It’s amazing.”

Helpful Tip 1: Get Help Appealing a FEMA Denial: A free legal help hotline is now available for flooding survivors in Eastern Kentucky needing assistance with FEMA appeals, unemployment insurance claims, etc. Call ​(844)478-0099 Monday–Friday from 8:00 to 4:30PM or learn more on the Governor’s Resource Page here.

Helpful Tip 2: Apply for “Do for One” Assistance. A previously established New Beginnings Fellowship Church outreach program, “Do For One,” serves as a way for church members and the community at large to bring attention to individuals and families affected by the flooding with specific, tangible needs that the church can help fill, in addition to spiritual needs such as prayer, counseling, etc. While not specifically established as a flood relief program, “Do For One,” inspired by Luke 10:36-37 in the Bible, encourages church members and the public to “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.” The program is funded by both the Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund established by the church and by the designated funds established by the church in which 10 percent of all tithes and offerings are set aside for community outreach. Assistance usually ranges from service opportunities to projects with a cost of $50-$500. Apply for yourself or others affected by the flood here:  Do for One — New Beginnings Fellowship Church (nbfc.church)

Donate: Give to New Beginnings Church Flood Relief Fund via paypal.com

About this story series:

Mountain Association is partnering with What’s Next EKY?! and Vision Granted to host a series of stories showcasing the incredible flood relief efforts across the region in response to the flood on July 28, 2022. With a goal to share hope and spark new ideas about ways you can help in your own community, these stories will showcase the creativity and hard work of local people, provide helpful flood recovery tips, and feature stories of neighbors helping neighbors. If you have a story or helpful tip to share, please contact visiongrantedconsulting@gmail.com. Please learn more about this series here.

The post Local Church Unites Family After Insurance and FEMA Denials appeared first on Mountain Association.

The day after the flood, Brent Handshoe was helping his friend move everything out of his flooded home in Floyd County. They had lost their refrigerator and all the local restaurants were flooded. Brent thought to himself, “if they don’t have food, how many others don’t have food?” Then he drove around and saw all the devastation with hundreds of people needing food just in his local area. He decided to do something about it.

Alongside Tonya Shepherd-Hatfield, a nurse practitioner, and Cara Stewart, an attorney, Brent organized Feeding East Kentucky, a new 501(c)3 nonprofit, and got busy cookin’. 

The first day they served 600 hot dogs. Food donations immediately started rolling in. But as the days went by, they realized that people needed more to survive than snacks, sandwiches, and hot dogs. People needed not just food, but hot food and healthy, well-balanced meals.

The nonprofit World Central Kitchen partnered with them and began giving them lessons on nutrition. With this knowledge and with her training as a nurse practitioner, Tonya now helps plan their menus with healthy options to aid in local health issues like obesity and diabetes. 

In partnership with World Central Kitchen, they have also had a new professional chef every week come to cook, including Guy Bundant from Washington DC, Mark Molenta from Los Angeles, and other renowned chefs from New Orleans and New York. AuCo Lai, a local Kentucky born and raised professional chef, is also on their team and is dedicated to helping the organization succeed long-term. 

With their network of partners, Feeding East Kentucky delivered 70,000 meals door-to-door in the first seven weeks of operation after the flood, serving Floyd, Pike, Perry, Letcher, Knott, and Breathitt Counties. They also recognized early on that people don’t always feel comfortable taking food from those they don’t know, so it became important to have local people delivering the food. Over 100 people have volunteered so far. To help them serve even more people, Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) has partnered to help them hire six workers to assist with coordinating food preparation, delivery, and case management. (Note: other organizations supporting disaster relief work may be able to get wage reimbursements for up to 12 months through the EKCEP EKY FLOOD program.)

Now, Feeding East Kentucky is looking at a commercial kitchen that can prepare 2,000 meals at a time and have a welcoming dining room. While they will keep sending meals to people who need it most throughout the flood recovery efforts, long-term, they plan to provide programming on how to prepare nutritious food, and in an environment where people feel welcome and without shame. They have developed a proven model of delivery during disaster that they will be able to implement as necessary during future disasters, and, during non-disaster times, the future community outreach program develop will use the kitchen to provide hot meals to food insecure individuals and teach classes on nutrition, cooking, food storage and processing.

As Brent says, “Our region is already food insecure and many of our neighbors live in generational abject poverty. We know our brothers and sisters in the west also felt the devastating blow of this climate crisis when the EF4 tornado ripped through their communities last year… Kentuckians are tough, resilient people that take care of our own. ” 

Helpful Tip 1 – Wages For Disaster Relief Workers: If your organization is providing cleanup or humanitarian efforts in the disaster counties, the EKCEP “EKY FLOOD” program may be able to help cover the cost of wages for individuals for up to 12 months. Learn more here.

Helpful Tip 2 – Expedited Non-Profit Status During Disasters: New non-profits created to help during disasters can apply for an expedited 501(c)3 status. Since COVID, the typical application process often takes over a year, but with the disaster designation, it can take as little as two weeks. This status is important to help nonprofits qualify for certain grants and funding opportunities. Learn more here.

About this story series:

Mountain Association is partnering with What’s Next EKY?! and Vision Granted to host a series of stories showcasing the incredible flood relief efforts across the region in response to the flood on July 28, 2022. With a goal to share hope and spark new ideas about ways you can help in your own community, these stories will showcase the creativity and hard work of local people, provide helpful flood recovery tips, and feature stories of neighbors helping neighbors. If you have a story or helpful tip to share, please contact visiongrantedconsulting@gmail.com. Please learn more about this series here.

The post Floyd County Residents are “Feeding East Kentucky” appeared first on Mountain Association.

Mountain Association is partnering with What’s Next EKY?! and Vision Granted to host a series of stories showcasing the incredible flood relief efforts across the region in response to the flooding on July 28, 2022. With a goal to share hope and spark new ideas about ways you can help in your own community, these stories will showcase the creativity and hard work of local people, provide helpful flood recovery tips, and feature stories of neighbors helping neighbors. If you have a story or helpful tip to share, please contact visiongrantedconsulting@gmail.com 

About our partners:

• What’s Next EKY?! is a grassroots network of communities and organizations helping people connect, collaborate, and celebrate to support a thriving Appalachian Kentucky. What’s Next EKY?! is a community group incubated by the Mountain Association. Join the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/whatsnexteky/
• Vision Granted LLC is a network of freelancers in Eastern Kentucky providing grant writing and project management services with a specialty in “bureaucracy navigation.” Vision Granted is also a consultant for the Mountain Association’s Business Support and their SPARK Nonprofit Collaborative programs:  www.visiongranted.com

Stories To Date:

Floyd County Residents are “Feeding East Kentucky”

Feeding East Kentucky is a new 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Floyd County, Kentucky, with a mission to provide a sustainable free-food distribution program for the flood affected area of East Kentucky and long-term help to fill the gaps of food insecurity in the mountains.

Read the story.

Local Church Unites Family After Insurance and FEMA Denials

This story is about the Tacketts, a family of eight, that found themselves homeless after flood waters caused catastrophic damage to their home in Pike County. As a result, the family was separated, living with other family members, wherever there was room. They would be denied FEMA assistance two more times before hope came in the form of a local church delivering a camper that, as luck would have it, slept eight.  

Read the story.

Letcher County Schools Receive Thousands of Books

Learn how one former Letcher County student’s love for reading as a child led to thousands of books being donated to flooded classrooms and libraries in the Letcher County school system.

Read the story.

Wayland, KY is Working Together to Rebuild

Read about how the small town of Wayland is rebuilding after damage to its beloved community center.

Read the story.

Wayland Residents Gather to Plan Their Recovery

Learn how AmeriCorps VISTAs and community partners hosted a Community Gathering in Wayland with a goal to bring together a community drawn apart by time, the impact of Covid-19, and disaster, to discuss what makes their town special and shared ideas to drive development forward.

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Get Prepared: What You Can Do Before The Next Disaster

Kentucky’s landscape and history prove that flooding, fires and tornadoes are an unfortunate inevitability of the place we call home. Here’s what you need to do to get ready for the next disaster.

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Flood Veteran Shares Valuable Lessons Learned: Make Sure You’re Covered

As mayor of Wayland, KY & lifelong “Waylander,” Jerry Fultz has seen floods come and go since he was a young boy. He experienced the historic floods of 1957 & 1963, and nearly 20 more during his tenure– but the flooding of Right Beaver Creek in July 2022 was exceptional. Mayor Fultz shares with us some of the insights and lessons learned through his 12 years as mayor in such a flood prone community.

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Recovery Is a Team Effort: How Communities Banded Together After the Flood to Make Lasting Change

“What are the gaps and how can we fill them in?”: This is the role for Long Term Recovery Groups (LTRGs) across the region which formed post-flood. A LTRG is a cooperative body made up of members of the community from all walks of life.

Read the story

The post EKY Flood Relief Story Series: Neighbors Helping Neighbors appeared first on Mountain Association.