LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — President Trump announced on Tuesday that $56 million in federal funding is being sent to Kentucky in response to April and May storms, bringing relief to communities still recovering from devastating weather events.
London Mayor Randall Weddle said city officials weren't expecting over $27 million to head to Kentucky communities impacted by the storms.
"We all celebrated," Weddle said.
The funding is intended for public assistance to restore damaged buildings and clean up debris, which comes as welcome news for London. The city has already spent more than $1 million on tornado recovery efforts, the mayor says.
"It's been a big relief, not just to me, but my entire department heads, because we had some serious talks about us not going to be able to do things this year that we had initially had planned to," Weddle said.
The financial strain has been significant for the small community.
"When you're talking about a small government that operates on a very tight budget as it is...every little dollar counts," Weddle said.
For residents like Tina Carnes, who lost virtually everything she owns, the recovery process remains frustrating despite the funding announcement.
"We're just kind of stuck in this middle right now," Carnes said.
She understands her hometown will only be eligible for a piece of the FEMA funding. Still, the uncertainty about when London will have access to that money adds to the challenges faced by storm victims.
The visual impact of the storm remains evident throughout the area.
"You want people to come in and be like, 'Oh, this is a beautiful city, beautiful county.' And right now, when you're driving down 25 you're seeing a mess. I mean, it's a complete mess," Carnes said.
Mayor Weddle emphasized that patience is necessary as the city works through FEMA's reimbursement process.
"We got to show that we had spent this, this, this on the recovery effort, and then we get reimbursed for that. And then again, you've got to have receipts," Weddle said.
