WOODFORD COUNTY, KY (LEX 18) — After nearly six months of rebuilding, David and Krissy Fraser have finally returned to their beloved log cabin on the Kentucky River, the same home that was devastated when April floods swallowed much of the Clifton community.
The April flood came fast and caught many by surprise when the Kentucky River swallowed their home of 32 years. Once the water receded, the Frasers began a long, messy journey to rebuild.
Work crews ripped their home down to the studs and replaced and rewired all the electrical systems. Through it all, they kept their popular downtown Lexington restaurant, Courtyard Deli, up and running, feeding the loyal lunch crowd.
"We're just glad to be home - it has been a long haul," Krissy said.
On Saturday, the Frasers returned home for good. Their cabin on the river is freshly painted and ready for a new beginning. Krissy loves her new kitchen.
"There's a whole wall of windows that look at the river - there's nothing to impede the view anymore," she said.
Despite what the river took from them in April, Krissy still enjoys the view.
"Yeah, yeah I do, we're not leaving. We love it. The April flood was an anomaly, I don't feel that I'm threatened in this fashion worrying about it happening next year," Krissy said.
While the Frasers are settling back in, some of their neighbors never returned.
"We drove down the area of Clifton and Buck Run - there's houses that have been torn down, leveled, houses that look like they probably should get leveled and then there are some people who moved in a trailer and are working on the house," Krissy said.
The Frasers say their restaurant and loyal customers kept them grounded during all the chaos. Now, after the lunch crowd has been fed, they finally have a place to come home to again.
"When you live down there it just gets into your soul - the river becomes a part of your life and it's beautiful and calming - I just really don't want to live anywhere else," she said.
