First to Help

BY TINA V. BRYSON

For homeowner Ronald Fletcher and his wife, Mira, July 26, 2022, was a wonderful day. Three years prior, they had bought their home, and they’d been working hard to pay it off. That Tuesday, they made the final payment on their home: a dream of many families. Now, this house really belonged to them. But their elation wouldn’t last — because just two days later, historic flooding in Eastern Kentucky caused the creek by their house to rise, leaving 3 feet of water in their home, which sits 11 feet off the ground.

“When you hear about rain in this area, you take notice, but we had never seen floodwater in this house before,” said Fletcher, the father of two. “We stayed until we had to leave, and by then, the water was waist deep. We stayed in a motel that first night, and when we came back, we seen everything we worked for was gone.”

There were several feet of mud on the floor when he came inside the kitchen, which was unrecognizable. Their brand-new refrigerator was flipped over on its side. The living room wasn’t any better. Their couch and chairs were soaked with creek water and covered in mud as well.

“I was just devastated. Me and my wife have worked hard to pay it off. Now, that was just years of work that went completely down the drain,” Fletcher said. “I just told my wife that we were done. I just didn’t really know what we were going to do.”

After his first assessment, it took Fletcher three weeks to determine how he might provide for his family. FEMA provided some funds that the family used to purchase a camper.

“We thought we could find a place, but the places that I could even think about buying needed as much work if not more than our own home. Moving just wasn’t a good option,” Fletcher added. “I said, ‘Wait a minute, I own this, I don’t owe a penny on it. I’ll need to gut this as quickly as I can so my family can have some place to live.’”

Years ago, Jill Stafford, now a Home Repair caseworker, had helped Fletcher get some siding for his home through Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). He smiled when he recalled Stafford’s compassion and how she had helped his family.

“Any time I’ve ever called her, she’s been there for me,” Fletcher said. “If I needed some insulation, Ms. Jill from CAP would get me some insulation. If I needed some plywood, Ms. Jill would get me some plywood. She’s a great person. She was probably one of the first people to help me in any way after these floods. If it wasn’t for her, my home wouldn’t be back to where it is today.”

He aired out his home with all the doors and windows open while regularly spraying to mitigate for mold for a whole month. His next steps were to take the house all the way down to the studs. He stripped the floors down to the joists.

Three months after the flood, the family still had several rooms, including a bedroom and laundry room, with no drywall and no insulation. They still needed siding and an HVAC system. They had been using space heaters, which caused their electricity bill to skyrocket from $100 to $400 dollars per month. A tree also had fallen on the roof, causing the need for additional repairs.

CAP understands that recovery takes time and staff are there for the long haul to help families get back on their feet. Fletcher added, “If it wasn't for Christian Appalachian Project, I don't know where I would be.”