Woodford County reviews flood response; emergency declaration, 29 damage assessments, and safe‑room procurement move forward
Loading...
Summary
Director of Emergency Management Drew Chandler briefed the Fiscal Court on flood operations, damage assessments and community response. The court approved beginning procurement for park safe rooms and ratified a prior recommendation to partner on a net recovery program with Versailles.
Woodford County officials described flood response activities and post‑event recovery after an east‑Kentucky river rise earlier in February, noting targeted outreach, damage assessments and community partner support.
Drew Chandler, the county’s director of emergency management, summarized the timeline: the National Weather Service first warned of potential severe flooding in early February, the county issued an emergency declaration on Feb. 15, and the Kentucky River crest at the Frankfurt lock reached 39.34 feet. Chandler said the river was in flood stage from Feb. 17 to Feb. 21 and that downstream controlled spills from Dix Dam affected forecasts.
"The river crested Monday afternoon at 39.34 feet," Chandler said, adding that the county performed targeted outreach to high‑risk areas and used a wireless emergency alert when controlled spills began. Chandler told the court that 29 properties had water in structures and that as many as 11 residents were sheltered during the event; most had transitioned from immediate sheltering into other assistance programs.
Chandler credited community partners — Salvation Army, Woodford County Foundation, local churches and volunteer organizations — for rapid post‑flood aid, and described a case where the county helpline coordinated wood, food and hot meals for one family within hours.
The Fiscal Court approved a motion to begin the procurement process for park safe rooms under a hazard mitigation grant; the court’s approval covers starting the RFP and pre‑procurement work, not issuing a purchase order until a phase‑2 award is secured. The motion was made by Squire Gentry and seconded by Squire Taylor and carried on voice vote.
Separately, the court’s Committee of the Whole reported and approved recommending a partnership with the city of Versailles on a net recovery program (opiate task force) for half the cost pending contract approval by the county attorney; the court adopted that recommendation on the record.
Why it matters: County emergency actions, damage assessments and procurement for hazard‑mitigation safe rooms affect recovery resources, future community safety infrastructure and eligibility for federal assistance programs such as FEMA individual assistance or SBA loans. The court said the county will track costs for possible reimbursement and continue coordination with state and federal partners.
What’s next: The county will publish a damage assessment to support any FEMA or federal assistance request, continue targeted outreach to affected residents, and proceed with procurement steps for park safe rooms pending further grant awards and third‑party engineering verification.
