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Hardin County leaders review flood recovery needs as SBA outlines assistance options
Summary
Hardin County Fiscal Court received updates on flood damage, federal assistance options from the U.S. Small Business Administration, road closures and infrastructure damage including a landslide; county staff said they are tracking costs for FEMA public assistance and pursuing grant funding for long-term fixes.
Hardin County officials on May 13 updated the Fiscal Court on flood recovery work, federal assistance available to residents and businesses, and continuing infrastructure impacts including a landslide and numerous temporary road closures.
The updates matter because the April floods affected households, roads and public infrastructure across the county and the court is coordinating recovery actions, documenting costs for potential FEMA public assistance and promoting federal loan options for survivors.
Rick Morales, public information officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance, told the court that SBA offers physical damage and economic injury programs for homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofit organizations affected by the floods and described application deadlines and typical terms. Morales said physical-damage applications for this declaration will have a June deadline; economic-injury applications are open longer and typically run into the next calendar year. He described one financing feature the SBA offers: a one-year repayment deferment and fixed interest rates “as low as 2.7 percent,” no application fees and no collateral requirements for loans up to $50,000.
County Engineer Mark Absher and other county staff summarized field assessment work and aerial (drone) imagery documenting widespread flooding in communities including West Point, Colesburg, Sonora, Glendale and Cartwright Estates. Absher said the county is preparing cost estimates for damage to roads and a landslide on Stovall and Hall Roads and intends to pursue FEMA public‑assistance funding for some repairs. He said county GIS and drone flights are being used to map impacts and support recovery discussions with federal agencies.
Road Department Superintendent Dwight Morgan reported the department temporarily closed 48 different road segments at various times during the flood response and has been reopening and cleaning routes as conditions permit. Judge Executive Keith Tall noted county roads are now open and county staff are compiling records of repair costs to support any future FEMA public‑assistance application.
County staff also noted local partners are providing recovery services: the SBA has a business recovery center at Kentucky State Police Post 4 in Elizabethtown, and FEMA has a mobile center operating in West Point. Platform Waste Solutions and other haulers provided dumpsters and debris collection in heavily flooded neighborhoods.
Court members and staff emphasized documentation: the judge said the county is tracking repair costs and expenditures so it can apply for public assistance when the federal declaration is amended. Absher said the county will seek grant funding to study persistent sinkhole and backwater flooding in low-lying areas as a possible long-term mitigation step, while noting that studies and design work would require additional funds and time.
The court took no formal recovery actions or votes at the update; staff said they will return with cost estimates and any grant or application materials when those are ready.
