President Trump signs Expedited Major Disaster Declaration
BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — In the aftermath of flooding in Martin County, residents confront the devastation caused by relentless storms that swept through the Tug Valley beginning Feb. 15 as local officials assess the destruction and coordinate relief efforts. They received good news Monday when President Donald J. Trump signed an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration (DR-4860-KY) unlocking federal assistance for individuals struggling to recover in 10 Kentucky counties.
Martin County Judge/Executive was glad to receive news of the declaration.
“Now we want to ensure that everyone possible files a claim with FEMA and gets the help they need,” Lafferty said.
As of Monday, the county had documented 149 homes with damage, a number expected to rise as assessments continue. Of that number, officials classified eight homes as destroyed, 44 as having major damage, 77 as sustaining minor damage and 20 as experiencing minimal damage.
“We’re still getting reports in,” said Lafferty, noting that some of the hardest-hit areas include Riverfront Road (KY-292) along the Tug River from Lovely to the Pike County line and the North Wolf Creek (KY-1714) area in West Lovely. Other locations in the county also suffered.
On Tuesday, FEMA established a disaster recovery center at the Warfield Park Community Center at 888 Hode Road in Warfield. The center will be open Feb. 26 beginning at 9:30 a.m. to assist affected residents, county officials said.
Lafferty urges residents to initiate FEMA claims as soon as possible to maximize assistance.
To further assist, the judge’s office will be staffed temporarily with two additional workers to assist residents who need guidance or help with their FEMA claims.
“Dealing with the government can sometimes be a difficult task—or can seem difficult to people who are overwhelmed by a disaster,” Lafferty said. “We want to make it as easy as we can for our people.”
He encourages residents to call his office at 606-298-2800.
Lafferty emphasized the importance of filing an appeal if an applicant receives a rejection letter. He explained that the claim may have been denied for a reason that is easily corrected, such as a missing Social Security number or some other simple issue.
“It’s important that you don’t just accept a denial,” said Lafferty. “That is not the end of the process. The next step is to file an appeal. Don’t give up.”
Federal funding will also be available to the state and local governments and certain nonprofit organizations in Martin, Breathitt, Clay, Harlan, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Owsley, Perry and Pike counties.
“We will be going out with FEMA to show them damage to public property and getting those assessments,” said Lafferty. “We should know more soon about what we are facing.”
The judge was aware of at least three businesses and three churches that received damage. One of those was the IGA in Warfield.
“I saw where the IGA is going to reopen,” said Lafferty. “That is fantastic news. That’s a big deal.”
Debris disposal
Cleanup in the aftermath of the flood is immense, but there is help. The county and the National Guard are picking up and hauling away flood debris that people place at the edge of their property. Judge Lafferty asks residents to separate the debris into four separate piles:
- Building debris (carpet, lumber, drywall, demolition waste, masonry)
- Brush, trees and other wood that might have washed onto your property
- Hazardous wastes (batteries, paint, fire extinguishers, flammable items)
- Household garbage (place in trash bags as usual)
“We’re asking everyone to do the best they can,” said the judge.
He expects to have the National Guard through at least next week.
Cleanup volunteers
Madison Mooney and Danielle Kirk have organized volunteer cleanup crews to help residents whose homes and properties were flooded. They had helped nine homes in some capacity by Tuesday, with four being complete cleanups. According to Kirk, the others included helping to pack things out of the homes or hauling off debris. The two are asking everyone to join them (find Virginia Mooney or Danielle Kirk on Facebook).
Lafferty encourages volunteers to jump in and help.
“We have people out there—Madison, Danielle, and I saw a picture of Nina [McCoy]—but we have a lot more homes to clean up and we need more people to help,” he said.
Volunteers can connect by calling Lafferty’s office: “We’ll get them set up with a team and get them vaccinated.”
Other groups have also made their way into the county to help. On Saturday, a group from the University of Pikeville helped at Smokey Bottom in Lovely.
On Monday, Martin County students volunteered for cleanup.
“I’m proud of our people for the way they have stepped up and rallied around their neighbors,” said Lafferty. “We may not have all the things that they have in bigger places, but we take care of each other.”
Distribution centers
Dwayne Mills, director of Appalachia Reach Out and Nathan Harless, pastor of Inez Free Will Baptist Church (IFWBC) organized a central flood relief center at the IFWBC gymnasium. They coordinated satellite centers at churches throughout the county, receiving donations and distributing them through Calvary Temple, Wolf Creek Community Church, Huntleyville Gospel Restoration Church and Turkey Creek Nazarene. Citizen volunteers, fire departments, Martin County Rescue, Martin County Emergency Management, Martin County Sheriff’s Office personnel and the National Guard have delivered supplies to individuals and locations throughout the county.
Lovely Free Will Baptist and Wolf Creek Community Church provided hot meals to flood victims and volunteers.
The Inez Church of Christ is distributing supplies and invites residents and volunteers to stop in and get what they need. Anyone needing clothing can find it at the Martin County Extension Office.
Vaccines, water well testing
Judge Lafferty, a medical doctor, urges everyone who has even been near floodwaters to get a tetanus and Hep A vaccine. The Martin County Health Department has been administering the vaccines at various locations in the county for the past week. Eric Mills, health department director, said over 140 people got the vaccines last week.
“We gave all we had,” Mills said.
The health department expected to receive an additional 100 doses Tuesday. Call 606-298-7752 to ask about vaccine sites this week.
The health department is also testing water wells. Call 606-298-7752 to schedule your free test.
On Tuesday, the health department announced a toy drive for children impacted by the flooding. Mills and the staff encourage everyone who can help rebuild joy for these children to donate new toys for all ages, from toddlers to high school.
Donors can drop off new toys at the health department Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Family Resource Centers will distribute the toys within county schools.
The storm
Storms reached the area Feb. 15, bringing rounds of flash flooding of smaller streams, storm drains and streets, along with mudslides and rockfalls. Meanwhile, the river swelled and left its banks, backing up Wolf Creek and other direct tributaries.
The Tug Fork River crested in Kermit at 51.22 feet at 12:30 a.m. Feb. 17, marking its second-highest level since April 6, 1977, when it reached 54.5 feet at Kermit. Its third-highest crest was in 1984 at 49 feet.
Homes flooded, roads were blocked, families were stranded and thousands were without electricity. Residents found themselves escaping their homes, some in waist-deep water carrying what they could on their shoulders.
As the situation intensified first responders began rescuing residents in boats in areas where it was safe to do so. That still left hundreds stranded in areas where the water was too swift and wild for boats. That is when the county requested assistance from the National Guard, who rescued 296 from Riverside Apartments and Dempsey Housing as the river surrounded them. They rescued countless others on Wolf Creek and Route 292.
To complicate the situation, the river did not spare Kentucky Power’s electric transmission substation on Route 292 in Lovely. The power company was forced to turn the station off, knocking out power to hundreds of residents. The power outage that Kentucky Power initially predicted would last several days lasted only a couple of days.
Still, the substation was not the only issue causing power outages. At the height of the disaster, close to 2,000 homes and businesses were in the dark in Martin County alone.
Lafferty expressed his gratitude for the power company’s quick response. He also did not forget to thank first responders and administrators.
“I’m proud of our response—emergency management, 911, fire departments, rescue squad, sheriff’s office, administrators, coordinators, everyone,” Lafferty added. “We made it through the flood and as tough as it’s been, we’ve had blessings. Thank God that no one died; we had no major injuries. We got people evacuated, got people sheltered and fed.”
Recovery lies ahead.
“We have a long way to go,” said Lafferty. “We have to get the place cleaned up. I’m asking people to persevere, to continue to help every bit that they can and to volunteer as much as they can. We will get through this; we’ll learn and prepare for future disasters. This is not the last time this is going to happen to us.”
More heroes
Lafferty also mentioned that the Martin County School District, from the Board of Education and administration to the school principals, teachers, staff, students, bus drivers, cooks and maintenance, stepped up during the crisis.
“School district personnel set up emergency shelters in the schools and volunteered in those shelters to help individuals and families rescued during the flood,” he said. “They fed those people a hot meal. Many of those people came in cold and scared. The schools provided comfort, food and shelter.”
Warfield Elementary provided hot meals for several days following the flood.
FEMA options
Residents can file their claims in a few ways. FEMA has options:
FEMA app (download on the Apple App Store or Google Play)
Online: disasterassistance.gov
Phone: 800-621-3362
In Person: Find a Disaster Recovery Center near you at fema.gov/drc
SOAR
Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) has created a flood resource hub to provide individuals with a comprehensive step-by-step guide to navigating FEMA:
soar-ky.org/navigating-femas-individual-assistance-program-what-you-need-to-know/to