JACKSON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX News) — A flood relief fund aims to keep flood victims in Jackson County from getting left behind. It comes as many are in between the stages of cleanup and rebuilding.
Jackson County Judge/Executive Paul Hays said earlier this week that multiple county bridges were washed out due to the flash floods. On Tuesday, he said crews were working hard in the heat to get those bridges temporarily repaired.
“We're telling our employees and our workers that are assisting us to make sure you drink a lot of water, make sure you take breaks periodically, get in the shade, cool down a little bit,” he said earlier in the week.
Today, Hays showed off the results of the hardworking crews, which just finished repairs on the final two bridges.
“The bridge that we're standing on right now was impassable,” Hays said from the middle of the bridge on Gay Cemetery Road. “It was completely washed out and was dangerous to even get around, and now that this bridge has been replaced within 5 days by a temporary bridge that is functional and safe.”
While all of the county bridges are repaired as of today, it’s going to take a lot longer for residents to rebuild on their own property.
“We've had a variety of things that have happened from people's driveways getting washed out, we've had vehicles that have just been destroyed or washed down into the river,” Brian Murray, public relations manager at PRTC said.
“There's more damage and people reporting damage each day,” shared Kathy Spurlock from the Jackson County Off Roaders Association.
“With FEMA only covering the dwelling, that's only going to be a fraction of what people have lost,” added Murray.
In an attempt to help fill in the remaining fraction – and with encouragement from Jackson County Emergency Management Director Jamie Strong – Murray and Spurlock helped set up a Jackson County flood relief fund.
“It was evident quickly that there were going to be people that didn't have either any insurance, didn't have enough insurance, or they were not going to be qualified for any type of assistance,” Murray said. “We saw that these people were going to be in the gap and they were going to be left behind as far as any help they could possibly get. That's why we're doing this fundraising.”
The number of properties with reported damage continues to climb. It’s up to 75 as of Thursday afternoon. The problems and needs at each property vary as well.
“The needs are changing, certainly weekly and sometimes even daily,” said Murray. “That's why we're doing this GoFundMe and these two special accounts because we can take that money and meet specific needs that people have in specific situations.
The two special accounts Murray mentioned are accounts at Jackson County Bank and Citizens Bank. People can donate directly to the Jackson County Flood Relief account directly through those banks. You can also donate to the fund through this GoFundMe online.
