JACKSON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — More than 40 people died when floodwaters tore through eastern Kentucky in July 2022. Four years later, one Breathitt County woman is reflecting on what she lost — and what the region still needs.
Nancy Herald's home just outside of Jackson, looks comfortable and well-kept. She calls it "new," though she has lived there for nearly four years.
"My house is fine, it's comfortable, it's warm in the winter, it's cool in the summer. We have city water, we're blessed," Herald said.
But it is not the home she had known since the 1970s — the one her parents built, where decades of family memories were made.
That house sits empty now.
When the floods struck in July 2022, water filled the basement and reached the first floor, destroying most everything inside. Debris swept onto the property by the rushing water remains in the backyard, too heavy to move.
"Even though you were looking at it. Your brain was saying this is how it is, and your brain was also saying, it can't be like this. So it was...it was devastating. It's not too strong a word. It was devastating," Herald said.
The retired Wolfe County schoolteacher says she would never again live in the flood-damaged home — but she also could not bring herself to tear it down.
"I could not bear the thought of seeing the wrecking ball or seeing the bare place. I just couldn't do that," Herald said.
The neighborhood along the North Fork of the Kentucky River that Herald once knew has changed dramatically. Where lively homes once stood along the river, empty lots now remain. Many families have relocated to higher ground since the flooding.
"There's an empty lot and that used to be a house and the family was a really nice family, hardworking people. I babysat their children. And that house is gone, they're gone. They won't be back here," Herald said.
"In Eastern Kentucky, our property is part of our identity. We just don't want to let go of things," Herald said.
Four years after the disaster, Herald says she and her family count themselves among the fortunate. Their lives were spared, and their memories remain intact. But her thoughts turn to those still struggling — people without safe, permanent housing, and those still haunted by the storm.
"We have a lot of people, especially children, who still struggle with a thunderstorm," Herald said. "We still need, I think some assistance with that mental health assistance, I think."
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