APPALACHIANVOICE
A NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS
FALL 2020
THROUGH FLOOD & PANDEMIC, MAKING A DIFFERENCE PROFILES IN SERVICE - MOUNTAIN OUTREACH
The flooding in southeastern Kentucky this year broke records. Water covered school buses, closed roads, filled valleys, ruined houses, damaged facilities, and swept away entire buildings. The damages cost millions of dollars in repairs across the Commonwealth. Some families watched their source of income wash away in a single storm.
“When you watch your dreams float down the river, it’s hard to watch,” said Rich Meadors, the father of the family. “A lot of kids made memories here. To see it gone… It just crushes me.”
Micah Linton, a senior at Cumberlands, and Rocky Brown, Director of “We wanted to help the family and recover Mountain Outreach whatever could be salvaged.” (MO), joined community members on February 15th to help clean up the Micah Linton damage on the farm. Exercise & Sport Science Major
Sally Gap Farms boasts beautiful farmland and seasonal activities, and they sell fresh vegetable bushel baskets and flowers year-round. But this February, it was more flood than farm. The Meadors family, who owns Sally Gap, posted a heartfelt video on Facebook. The typically happy farm was underwater and severely damaged. Dark storm clouds promised even more rain.
“I’d never seen flood damage like that before,” Linton said. “A lot of their buildings were just gone. Their fence lines were torn up. The water came through, and it just destroyed things. We wanted to help the family and recover whatever could be salvaged.” Continued on page 2