Some Beattyville residents, business owners may never return
and last updated 2021-03-02 18:54:55-05
BEATTYVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) â It took some business owners in Beattyville years to open their establishments. It took fewer than 48 hours for those businesses to be destroyed.
Flooding from the nearby Kentucky and North Fork Kentucky rivers has turned the downtown area into something one can only access by boat. The flood water is being measured in feet, and the time to recover is not being measured in days or weeks.
âIn all my time here, 25 years, Iâve never seen water in this situation,â said Lee County Emergency Management Director Jon Allen. âWe do have some new businesses in town that are going to struggle to reopen.
I ve seen flooding, but never anything like this : Hundreds in Breathitt County evacuate from homes
and last updated 2021-03-01 18:17:27-05
JACKSON, Ky. (LEX 18) â A portion of Breathitt County sits along the banks of the North Fork Kentucky River. When the water level is normal, itâs a picturesque setting. But when itâs cresting at a level thatâs several feet above normal, it can present a life-threatening situation.
âI looked out the window when the fire department came, and it was everywhere. And it rose about two feet in less than an hour,â said Rachel Nobel.
Nobel, like many others in the county was forced to evacuate her home due to those rising river levels. Sheâs now sheltering inside the Breathitt County High School gymnasium, where county officials set up a temporary home for those who have been displaced.