Island Creek Basin residents say lack of warning and closed floodgate caused rapid flooding

Robert Dorty, a resident of the Island Creek Basin, told the Paducah City Board of Commissioners during public comment on May 27 that his home took in about 2 feet of water and that he and about 30 families lost most of their belongings.

"We've lost everything," Dorty said, adding that he and other residents were placed in motels by emergency management after the April flood. He said he had not been told his home was in a flood zone and that FEMA denied some claims because of missing flood insurance.

Why this matters: residents said the basin flooded quickly after what they described as the Husband Road floodgate being closed while a bypass was obstructed. Multiple speakers said the closure — which they said happened as river levels were not in the moderate stage — left them without the 24 hours' warning they said would have allowed evacuation or moving belongings.

In testimony that followed, a man who identified himself as Joe (last name pronounced as Burkhead/Burkhart) described the basin's flow paths and said the bypass built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was effectively plugged on the day of the flood. He and other residents said the basin's elevation rose many feet between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, outpacing the Ohio River levels. Robert Harris, who identified his background in engineering and construction, said the gate and the nearby channel were known problem points when the flood wall was constructed.

Mayor George Bray told residents he would meet with them; Commissioner Henderson asked whether the mayor could set up a meeting and the mayor agreed to arrange a one-on-one meeting with the residents who requested it. No formal vote or policy action was taken at the meeting; the matter remained in the public comment record and city officials said they will follow up.

Residents pressed several specific points: that the Husband Road gate closure was not mentioned in city bulletins preceding the event, that county emergency managers said they had not received notice, and that a plugged bypass compounded the effect. Speakers gave figures including water rising "4 inches an hour," basin levels described as rising from about 42.6 to about 51.4 (as reported by a resident), and that certain private flood walls protect only up to about 53 feet on the river gauge; residents said those protections were insufficient without prior notice.

What the city said and next steps: Mayor Bray agreed to meet individually with residents to hear technical details and to discuss possible remedies. City staff did not make a public statement at the meeting about operational decisions on the gate or about who operates or maintains the bypass; residents repeatedly referenced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA in describing the flood-control context.

The discussion closed with an expressed request from residents for clearer notification protocols and for assessment and clearing of the bypass and culvert areas they say are chronically obstructed. The Board did not adopt new policy or direct staff to a specific action in the public meeting record; the mayor offered to meet with residents to gather more information.

For follow-up: residents asked that the city convene technical meetings and to provide clearer emergency notifications to basin residents if gates are to be closed or repositioned.