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McCracken County officials praise rescue volunteers, plan post‑flood after‑action review
Summary
County leaders recognized volunteer rescue personnel for their work during an April tornado and subsequent flooding, promoted a rescue squad member, and said they will convene an after‑action group to review emergency planning and operations.
McCracken County Judge Executive Clymer and county officials publicly recognized volunteer rescue personnel on April 14 for response work during a severe weather outbreak and subsequent flooding that began the first week of April.
The judge and emergency officials described two separate events: an EF‑2 tornado that tracked into McCracken County on the evening of April 2 and a major flood that followed. County leaders said first responders from county, city and neighboring jurisdictions worked through the night to clear roads, rescue residents and support damage assessments.
April (identified in the meeting as an emergency management official) told the court the county began public warnings March 29 and elevated messaging as forecasts increased from an initial 6–8 inch rainfall projection to 10–15 inches and a concurrent severe‑weather threat. She said the county used local media, social media and an email list that reaches businesses and hospitals to notify residents, and that staff staged sandbag operations and picked up 54,000 sandbags at Berkeley Dam for distribution.
Rob (identified as the county’s chief deputy and paid rescue squad chief) and April detailed rescue activity: squad members staged Friday night, began evacuations and performed multiple water rescues between April 5 and April 7. Rescue personnel reported 19 water‑rescue callouts and one water recovery (a drowning). Officials also said responders assisted with damage assessment, provided boat transport for state and federal assessors, and captured drone footage to support FEMA and state damage claims.
Judge Clymer said the county will convene a multi‑agency review group to "line by line" examine preparation, response and recovery actions and identify improvements. He described the work as an after‑action review rather than an effort to assign blame and set a goal to convene the team and share findings with the public within a few weeks.
The court also recognized individual service. The McCracken County Rescue Squad promoted member Jeremy Shear to lieutenant after officials said he responded to more than 25 rescue calls during April 5–12, assisted Kentucky Emergency Management, FEMA and the Red Cross on damage assessments and continued response while his own home had flood damage.
Officials closed by urging public appreciation of unpaid emergency volunteers, noting the rescue squad includes both paid and volunteer members and asking residents to take sandbags from the Emergency Operations Center if needed.
Ending: County leaders said they will publicize the after‑action review schedule and post recommendations on the county website once the group completes its assessment.
