Light in the Darkness

BY BRIANNA STEPHENS

After the challenges brought on by 2020, the world hoped for positive changes in 2021. But for the people of Appalachia, devastation and hardships only continued in February when a damaging ice storm and historic flooding slammed into Eastern Kentucky.

“The ice storm and flooding happened within a week, and, with it also being right here in our service area, it happened to our neighbors, friends, and family,” said Robyn Renner, director of Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Disaster Relief Program and a Housing Program manager.

Disaster Relief partnered with Rockcastle County Schools to open a warming shelter during the ice storm, which served 30 people. Then immediately following the flood, CAP completed 160 home assessments, and more than 100 employees, volunteers, AmeriCorps members, and community members clocked over 3,900 hours to help remove mud and flood waters from inside homes.

As the need for flooding assistance grew, and thanks to the generosity of donors, CAP’s leadership team was able to direct $400,000 to help purchase building materials for families in devastated homes. CAP is partnering with and providing materials to local churches, contractors, and families who are able to do the work needed to provide critical home repairs as soon as possible. Otherwise, families and individuals would have to remain displaced from their homes or live in unsafe conditions. With the help of the funding and partnerships, CAP had completed 36 home projects by July with 15 more homes still on the waiting list. Renner said she believed more families would reach out to CAP for assistance as they struggle to find help repairing their homes.

Paulina Jackson said God answered her prayer for help with CAP. In February, Jackson and her four children escaped from the rising flood waters in their home by canoe. After the water receded, her home was filled with mud, the walls were waterlogged, and a sour smell assaulted her senses when she walked through the door. Her warm and welcoming home of 15 years was unrecognizable as it stood wet, cold, and desolate.

In June, Wanda Ridener (right) assisted Paulina Jackson (left) who attended a distribution hosted by CAP to help flood victims in ongoing recovery efforts. Families were offered clothes, cleaning supplies, furniture, and household items.

“It has been devastating. A lot of tears, a lot of hard days, a lot of days you don’t understand why,” Jackson said. “I think the most devastating thing was I felt like I was failing as a parent because I didn’t have a roof to put over my children,” she added, wiping tears from her eyes.

On top of the worries of getting her home repaired, Jackson faced the deaths of her father and uncle and the intensified challenge of taking care of her children, as well as the struggles they faced while the family was displaced and living in a hotel. CAP’s Disaster Relief and Housing Programs have helped Jackson clean up and repair her home. She also received a donation of plumbing materials from CAP, which a local plumber installed.

“I am grateful for CAP. They have been so good to me,” Jackson said. “If the people at CAP hadn’t come, I think I would have fallen apart. They were my strength. They were supportive of me when I was at the bottom. They were there to hug me when I just wanted to cry. I think they were a Godsend. They stayed right there to help me, they volunteered when they didn’t have to, and they gave of themselves.”

Through additional partnerships, CAP’s Operation Sharing Program was able to distribute 20 semitruck loads of essential items (food, cleaning supplies, paper goods, etc.) to 14 Kentucky counties and Wayne County, West Virginia, for two weeks following the flood. Distributions have continued to these devastated communities. In June, CAP programs came together to host a distribution in Rockcastle County to provide furniture, clothing, cleaning supplies, and other household items to families impacted by the flood. Jackson attended the distribution and took home a new chair along with other furniture and household items as work on her home continued months after the flood.

Families in Appalachia are still displaced from their homes and trying to recover from the devastation they have faced. For some it could even take years before they can get back to their normal way of life.

“Rebuilding and repairs do not happen overnight,” said Renner, who has helped with CAP's Disaster Relief Program since its inception in 2005. “Building materials are triple the cost and more difficult to get, and you can’t replace appliances overnight. Because this happened in our service areas, we are able to serve these communities on a much longer response with not only clean up but recovery efforts. We are in it for the long haul.”

(above) Lauren Kirby, CAP Risk Management coordinator, helps assess the devastation of the Jackson home.

Historic flooding in Eastern Kentucky earlier this year engulfed Paulina Jackson's home (left). As a result, her home was devastated.