LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (LEX 18) — Houses can be restored and new furniture can be bought. However, there are some things that flood victims simply can’t replace.
“Precious family heirlooms like photographs sometimes are more important to people than anything else,” said Danny Bernardy, a public information officer with FEMA.
The Disaster Recovery Center in Anderson County has been open for just a week, helping those affected by the April floods through a number of programs. One of them is called Save Your Family Treasures.
“Some people have unfortunately lost everything,” Bernardy said. “To others, you know, their damage may have been minimal.”
FEMA and the Smithsonian Institute co-sponsor this effort to show people how they can potentially salvage personal family items. In the February floods, the program helped more than 150 people in eastern Kentucky.
“Experts from our environmental historic preservation team can take you through step by step about how to take care of that prized photograph, that piece of textile, that artwork that's stuck to the glass pane,” Bernardy explained.
This week, FEMA preservation teams are offering demonstrations on how to safely handle and salvage items. These teams will be at Disaster Recovery Centers from May 5-17.
Teams will be at the Franklin County center May 5-10 and May 12-17, and they are at the Anderson County center May 5-6 and May 9-10. Additional locations may be announced for the week of May 12-17.
“In many cases, people have lost everything,” Bernardy said. “These few objects that are left are tremendously important to them and so it's an opportunity to save some of these memories that are that are tied up and associated with these items.”
“It can help give the survivors a sense of control in that next step towards recovery and getting things back to normal.”
To receive FEMA assistance, you can apply in-person at a Disaster Recovery Center. You can also call 800-621-3362, disasterassistance.gov, or download the FEMA app.
You can find resources to the Save Your Family Treasures program here.
