Home Calls the Heart: Catastrophic Flooding Hit Eastern Kentucky

I am writing about my childhood home in South Eastern Kentucky. Though I love to feature the hills in paintings and stories, the reason for this post is not one to show pride in the beauty of my homeland, today it is to share my love for it’s people. My people.. I moved away from the mountains when I was in my teens, and returned home briefly only to move away again a few years later. I still have family that is scattered throughout the region. When I first heard about the catastrophic flooding that had hit Eastern Kentucky, I felt absolute terror.

With a feeling of dread about what replies I would get, I went to Facebook and started trying to connect with family. At first, I thought that all of my immediate family had managed to make it through without being severely impacted. I had seen photos of Wilder Branch. I knew that a lot of my family there was without water. Even in the photos you could see the water pipes had been washed out of the ground and lay along the what was left of the road in pieces. I knew they many would be without electricity. I hoped that that would be the worst of it.

Waiting for News

As I watched the news, I saw towns that were flooded and houses floating in the river. But what I wasn’t prepared for was the growing list of casualties, some of which were children. I felt heartbroken from seeing the destruction. Knowing that the people there must feel hopeless and pain-ridden. All I could do was pray and wait for someone to organize a way to help.

Mountain folk are no strangers to hardships. Flooding events, landslides, forest fires, and winter storms frequently cause hardships. The people there are used to having to go without electricity at times. But the floods that hit this time were no ordinary floods. The rains came down relentlessly, and the creeks turned into rivers so suddenly that people were caught off guard. This time, areas flooded that were not supposed to be in flood plains. Homes were washed into creeks and rivers. Vehicles, including fire trucks and school buses, were swept away. Lives were lost.

Neighbor Helping Neighbor

Two days after the flood, I learned that two of my nieces had been victims of the flooding. They and their families are okay. Their homes were flooded and they lost almost everything. One niece even lost her vehicle. They were unharmed.

When I talked to one of my nieces over Messager and asked how they were all doing, she said that they were tired. Not only had they been trying to save what they could in their own homes, but they were also doing all they could to help their neighbors. Mountain folk are like that. They look after one another in times of need. I saw on the news where a woman pulled her shoes off to give to another that was shoeless. I saw pictures of young men riding on horseback to deliver supplies to those in need. This brought tears of pride to my eyes. These were my people at their best.

Who is Your Neighbor?

I expected the folk back home to help each other. But I worried that they would not get help from the outside. I was so thrilled to see that people across the state were giving money and supplies for the flood victims. Then, I saw that supplies were coming in from other states. It reminded me of the Bible verse when Jesus asked “who is your neighbor”, Luke 10: 25-37 and the call to help our brothers and sisters that is given in 1 John 4:20-21. I was reminded that there are still good people in a world that often seems filled with anger and hate. It gives me hope.

Still, the people are hurting. They have lost family and friends. Things can be replaced, people can’t. They said this is a “thousand-year flood”, but I worry that they are wrong.

Global Warming

Over the last few years, our world has started to experience drastic changes. There have been heating waves in Europe. We have seen unprecedented drought, heat waves, and shrinking water tables in the American South West, now compounded by torrential flooding. We are seeing the melting of the ice caps. Our planet is in crisis.

Why is this occurring? Because we humans are cutting down forests at an alarming rate. We are polluting the water and. Emissions from fossil fuels and agricultural activities are causing problems as well (Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions).

Change is not an Option if We Want to Avoid Future Catastrophic Flooding in Eastern Kentucky

If we want to help prevent future disasters like the recent catastrophic flooding that hit Eastern Kentucky from occurring, then we all have to start working to improve our carbon footprint. Recycling needs to be mandatory. We need to lower our dependence on fossil fuels and work to find clean resources. We need to shop locally, provide national railway systems for industrial transport and public transportation, and grow as much of our food as possible to cut down on our reliance on industrial agriculture.

A Return to Frugal Living

Frugal living is not just a necessity for my family financially, it is a way of life. Having grown up in the mountains, I learned early how to make the most of what you had to hand. I still shop at used clothing stores, grow a small garden, and try to buy from local farmers. I try to live frugally to lower my impact on the environment. Waste harms the earth, and in turn harms life on it. This blog was born from my desire to help others and help the environment. As home calls the heart to care for others we have left behind, we need to remember that we have to look out for each other and for the generations to come.

Thank You All for Your Kindness

The mountains of Eastern Kentucky will always be home. My heart breaks at the pain I see others having to endure due to these floods. Weeks later, they are still working to secure places to live, or having to remodel their homes.

Home calls my heart. I wish that I had the money to help every person suffering back home after the catastrophic flooding that hit Eastern Kentucky. Sadly, I don’t have the financial resources. At the same time, I am overwhelmed at the outpouring of compassion that has been provided by so many. As I reflect on the events of the last weeks I see pain, but I see love and kindness as well. I can’t express how grateful I am that so many have offered help to those in need, and I pray that the people there will continue to receive the help that they need to get back on their feet. I pray for the families who lost loved ones. And now I pray for those who are now facing flooding out west.

If you are interested in learning more about ways that we can protect the environment and live in a more frugal manner that helps to lower your carbon footprint, then you may be interested in reading 5 Ways to Attract Pollinators: Protecting Honeybees and Other Pollinators to Protect the Future, and Gardenscaping to Fight Inflation.

Thank each of you for your support whether it is in the form of prayers, or financial help, God bless you all!

Vikki