One Day at a Time

BY BRIANNA STEPHENS

The rumble of a tractor-trailer’s engine vibrates through the ground as the truck zooms by a FEMA trailer parked a few feet from the road. Large trucks don’t usually travel down this rural Eastern Kentucky road — but now lines of them continue to travel in and out of the area, carrying away the seemingly endless amount of debris from the summer flood.

A family of four who escaped the flood waters is living in a trailer that sits right in front of their real home. They are slowly working to repair it after the waters of nearby Troublesome Creek rose 4 feet within the main living spaces, 6 feet in their garage, and 10 feet in their basement just nine months ago. Since the flood, the family has been trying their best to balance work and home life while finding the time, money, and resources to continue repairing their home on their own.

Because of the generosity of donors, Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Operation Sharing program has helped bring relief to children, their families, and seniors impacted by the flood through the distribution of essential items, household goods, and more. The family received a stove, washer, dryer, mattresses, dehumidifier, and an air conditioner from Operation Sharing to help them as they rebuild their home.

“The rebuilding has been slow, because it takes money. When you lose everything, you have to replenish everything you have,” Tera, the mother, said. “These items from Christian Appalachian Project take a heavy burden off us because that is money we can save and put into buying other items we don’t have. It’s a blessing.”

While Operation Sharing can obtain donated materials, the program depends on its partner network of more than 1,300 community-based agencies, nonprofits, schools, and churches to help connect the materials to people in need throughout the region.

Since August, Alma Eversole, who teaches at the Knott County Area Technology Center, has hosted multiple distributions of Operation Sharing essential items in her community. A flood survivor herself still in need of home repairs, Eversole has worked nonstop to connect with families in the community impacted by the flood, like Tera’s, or families who just need a helping hand. She keeps track of families and their needs, and shares that information with Operation Sharing when a tractor-trailer load of supplies is sent to her.

On a truckload in January, Eversole was excited to receive more than 50 rolls of new carpet donated to Operation Sharing from Rupp Arena, the home court of the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team in Lexington. At the time, many families rebuilding from the flood in the community needed flooring, but the cost of different materials made it challenging for families to purchase.

“We will keep doing this until we don’t see a need,” Eversole said. “There is a lot that is needed here, but we are taking it one day at a time. It has been a blessing for us to be able to do this for our community and to have this partnership with Operation Sharing.”

Whether a disaster strikes or there is a need in the community, CAP’s programs are in it for the long haul to walk beside our participants and help them through what could be the most challenging moments of their lives.

"When the disaster hit, Operation Sharing with the help of our donors and partners, stepped up to deliver essential items to communities in need," said Aaron Thoms, manager of the Paintsville Operation Sharing program. “We continue to listen to our partners to meet the changing needs of our participants as recovery efforts continue. We hope that what we can do makes a small difference in the lives of these families.”