In July of 2022, a thousand-year flood swept through eastern Kentucky leading to the loss of 44 lives and destroying and damaging thousands of houses. One of the worst floods in the state’s history, 13 counties were declared disaster areas, and the long, arduous recovery process began in this remote, impoverished region.
These close-knit communities are turning to trusted local nonprofits like the Housing Development Alliance (HDA) to help rebuild their homes and lives. Through a Section 4 capacity building grant from Enterprise, the 30-year nonprofit brought on a flood construction specialist to help manage the rehabilitation of the damaged homes.
Deepening the Housing Crisis
Since 1993, HDA has addressed the critical need for quality, affordable homes. Many families in Breathitt, Knot, Leslie, and Perry counties lived in substandard conditions—some without running water—and in overcrowded, unsafe homes before the floods.
The disaster exacerbated already challenging conditions for many families. Nearly 75 percent of the housing damaged from the flood occurred in just four counties—Breathitt, Knott, Letcher, and Perry—which comprised 22 percent of the occupied homes.
Many of the flood survivors are elderly, living on fixed incomes and earning less than $30,000 per year, making it difficult to replace or repair their homes on their own. About 95 percent of those affected in HDA’s service area did not have flood insurance because the premiums were cost-prohibitive to low-income homeowners.
In many cases, seniors and families continue to live in their damaged homes, unable to find the resources to rebuild or relocate.
Creating Housing Outside the Floodplains
One of the challenges HDA faces in recovery is finding suitable land for new homes. While large tracts of land are being bought or donated, the sites are often undeveloped, and HDA has not been able to build new homes on higher-ground. HDA is now focused on scattered sites that they have in Perry County and other areas outside of the flood zone until larger parcels can be acquired. This challenge is made more difficult due to the rocky ground, traces of chemicals from strip mining, and a lack of topsoil for gardening, which people in the community rely on and love for their gardening needs.
Despite these challenges, HDA has built 32 new homes for flood survivors on scattered sites and completed 102 rehabs, where homes required two to three major repairs. Of the 3,293 homes damaged by the flood where HAD works, 500 were destroyed, and 11,480 people were directly impacted by the disaster.
With less than 100,000 people in total across the region, HDA is working with over 150 flood survivors who still need assistance with home repairs.
“At the time of the flood, we were not receiving direct federal funding for emergency repairs, and we had to scramble to find resources and capacity to handle the recovery work while continuing our ongoing affordable housing efforts,” said Mindy Miller, HAD’s director of development and communications. “That’s where the funding for the flood construction specialist position has made a huge difference.”
The Section 4 capacity grant helped HDA retain a dedicated staff member who focuses exclusively on flood recovery, allowing the rehabilitation crews to work faster and more efficiently.
Partnerships and Commitment to Housing Resilience
HDA is a key member of the Housing Can’t Wait coalition, a grassroots initiative involving other nonprofit developers working to build new homes and rehab existing homes for flood survivors and low-income families across the counties they serve. This collaboration is crucial to tackling the housing crisis in the region, which has worsened since the flood.
In the next 18 months, HDA plans to rehab 50 flood-damaged homes while continuing to focus on rebuilding stronger, safer communities at risk of future flooding. Their efforts will include flood-resistant designs and elevating homes where possible to ensure long-term resilience. The work aims to rebuild lives and create a path to safety, stability, and resilience for generations to come.