Flood Survivor Assistance
How Can We Help?
Flood Recovery Efforts
Our Impact
For Eastern Kentucky Flood Survivors
As of August 31, 2023 (updated monthly)
Flood Disaster Long-Term Recovery Efforts
What is HDA’s plan for Eastern Kentucky flood recovery? Find out here.Â
Historic flooding has devastated Eastern Kentucky. Three of the four counties we serve – Breathitt, Knott, and Perry – are three of the four counties hardest hit. In these counties, the national news media has shown the world the destruction and heartache: entire neighborhoods gone, homes demolished, lives lost and so many others forever changed. There was a housing crisis before this flood, and now, the need is staggering. As we begin our long-term recovery efforts, we need your help! Please volunteer, donate, send supplies/gifts in-kind, whatever you can do to lend a hand to our community.
There isn't enough available funding to meet the needs of flood survivors in our area. As a nonprofit - 501 (c) (3) - affordable housing developer, we rely on the generosity of our funders, individual donors, partners, and community supporters to help make this work possible.
- 44% of those whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the flood are children or seniors.
- 60% of households with damaged homes have annual incomes of less than $30,000.
- 29% of households with damaged homes have occupants age 65 or older, with fixed incomes.
- 61% of homes damaged were non-mobile housing units (i.e., homes, townhouses, apartments, etc.); 39% were mobile homes.
- 95% of those affected did not have flood insurance.
- Kentucky homeowners pay, on average, $1,174 per year for flood insurance policies, making them unaffordable for many low-income homeowners.
Total Cost to Rebuild: $529 Million
(This is the cost to rebuild in just the 4 counties we serve. 13 total counties were impacted by the flood in Eastern Kentucky.) To build a new home in the same location costs an estimated $150,000. The cost to build a new home in a new location is $185,000 ($150,000 + $35,000 for land). To repair or rehabilitate a home that sustained major damage in the flood, the cost is estimated at $70,000.
In the 4 counties we serve (Breathitt, Knott, Leslie & Perry):
Data from the Ohio River Valley Institute
Other Ways to Donate
If you’d rather not donate online, there are other ways you can show your support for the people of Eastern Kentucky through the Housing Development Alliance!
- Send a check, cash donation, or in-kind gift to ATTN: Mindy Miller, Housing Development Alliance, Inc., P.O. Box 7284, Hazard, KY 41702. In the memo, be sure to note that your donation is for “Flood Recovery.” If you have a specific use in mind for your donation (e.g., new home construction, home repair/rehab, the HDA Volunteer Program, etc.), you can designate it on your check, money order, or include a note with instructions.Â
- Drop off a check, cash donation, or in-kind gift at our office located at 2871 North Main St., Hazard, KY 41701. Go to Our Location.
- Volunteer! Click here for more info.
Resources for Flood Survivors
We know it’s overwhelming right now, but help is available in this time of crisis. If we can’t directly help you, we’ll connect you to someone who may be able to offer the assistance you need.
Local Disaster Recovery Groups
Help and resources are available to you through Flood Relief & Recovery Groups active in each county. Each group conducts regular meetings that are open to the public. Below we have listed contact information for each of these groups.
Breathitt County Long Term Recovery Team
Knott County Rising
Perry County Disaster Recovery Group
Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief
Gov. Andy Beshear has established the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund to assist those impacted by the floods and the severe weather system beginning July 26, 2022. Click the icon to be taken to a page with more info & helpful resources.
Helpful Guides & Materials
Mold Prevention
We still receive calls and emails from folks needing help with mold control. Mold is a common problem after flooding and can be harmful to your health. It must be effectively cleared before you can start rebuilding. Remember: you can’t get rid of mold with bleach or vinegar! Neither is capable of cleaning below the surfaces of wood or concrete. You need a fungicide, like Concrobium, because these are cleaning agents made specifically for killing mold. If a fungicide isn’t used, the mold can and will regrow!
Useful Materials & Videos
Thanks to SBP for these helpful guides!
Photo by Clara Leonard / Appalachia Service Project
Flood Stories, Videos & Photo Collections
Check out helpful videos, “boots on the ground” stories, and photos from our hard hit community.
Photo Collection Courtesy of Clara Leonard / Appalachia Service Project
Our Supporters
It takes a whole community to help a whole community recover, and we are super inspired by the incredible strength and support of our Eastern Kentucky (and broader) community. Here’s just some of the many funders and supporters of the Housing Development Alliance’s flood recovery efforts.Â
- Appalachians for Appalachia
- Berea College Appalachian Fund
- Blue Grass Community Foundation
- Blue Ridge Insurance Group
- Church of the Holy Spirit
- Church of Reconciliation
- Coalition for Home Repair
- Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund
- Eastman Foundation
- Episcopal Diocese of Lexington (KY)
- Endeavor Charitable Fund
- Fahe
- First United Methodist Church - Champaign, IL
- Flat Rock Holiness Church
- Flour Creek Christian Church
- Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
- Franciscan Friars
- Grace Immanuel United Church of Christ
- Greenwood United Methodist Church
- Holy Trinity Catholic Church
- Home Lumber Company
- Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
- Ink Blot Shop LLC
- James Graham Brown Foundation
- Kentucky Housing Corporation
- Kentucky River Properties
- Kelsey Speaks - "Americana for Appalachia" Benefit Concert
- KYANA Charities, Inc.
- Louisville Water Company
- Marion County Cattlemen's Association
- Michelle Budzek & Gregory T. Brodrick (in honor of Gerry Roll)
- Mountain View Independent Methodist Church
- Paris Stockyard
- Parkway Christian Fellowship
- People's Self-Help Housing, Inc.
- Photography by Larry Witt
- Scottsville Allen Faith Coalition
- Southeastern Kentucky Rehabilitation Industries, Inc.
- Temple University Honors Program
- The Benevity Community Impact Fund
- The Mulhollem Cravens Foundation
- Walmart Foundation
- The Welcome Class - FBC Cumming, GA
- The Whitaker Foundation
- Washington County Livestock Center, Inc.
- William T. Foley Foundation (in memory of Mary Foley Carew)
