HAZARD, Kentucky – Dr. Frances Feltner's grandson was asleep in his eastern Kentucky home when his landlord banged on the door. By the time he reached the door, the water had reached his ankles.
Thirty minutes later, it was chest deep. He headed to higher ground. "The floodwaters came in fast, and they came in furious," Feltner said, noting that areas of Kentucky's rural Appalachia region that had never flooded were suddenly underwater.
"The rain came down, and it almost seemed like the rain came up at the same time." The floods in July 2022 left more than 40 people dead. Water rushed through the region's hollows, low-lying land carved by rivers and streams.
Flash flooding destroyed entire communities, including infrastructure, homes and schools. Hundreds of people were rescued by helicopter and boat. "One gentleman walked up to me and said, 'I haven't eaten in a couple of days,'" said Feltner, a Hazard resident who is director of the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health.
The center works to address health disparities in rural parts of the state. "People were crying about their possessions but still feeling blessed that they were alive." As the water subsided, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other disaster relief organizations descended on the region.
Community health workers, including some from Feltner's center, filled backpacks with food, drinking water and other necessities. Deliveries were made by boat, horseback and all-terrain vehic.
