Nelson County officials outline rescue tally, aid hotlines and multi‑million‑dollar road needs after widespread flooding

Nelson County Judge Executive Tim Hutchkins said the county is focused on rescue, short‑term relief and documenting damage after widespread winter storms and flooding that left dozens of homes inaccessible.

“We’ve rescued 66 people,” Hutchkins said, adding that the county had identified roughly 60 homes residents cannot yet re‑enter and that one person died early in the event. He urged residents with damage to contact their insurance carriers and to document losses so the county can support FEMA individual‑assistance applications.

Hutchkins described a large volunteer and agency response centered at collection points near Boston Food Mart and the civic center, with donations and pallets staged for distribution. He said Nelson County is coordinating with local emergency management (EMA), the Red Cross, volunteer groups, National Guard personnel and church groups to move donated goods and to connect displaced residents to shelter and recovery services.

For immediate help and donation coordination, Hutchkins gave a dedicated line routed to county financial staff: 502‑357‑349 (Katherine, financial director) and the county office at 270‑348‑1800. He said that Katherine is working with EMA director Brad (listed variously in the program as Brad Maf/Brad Metaf) and John Hendricks (assistant) to route callers to the correct resources.

Officials emphasized cleanup logistics: the county temporarily allowed storm debris to be placed with bulky‑item pickup and added multiple roll‑off dumpsters in southern areas (behind Boston Food Mart, at Barktown Rescue, near Shady Lane and Walkabout Farms) so residents could move debris without leaving it in ditches or streams.

Road damage is a parallel, expensive problem. Hutchkins said the county has identified State Road 509 and parts of Howardstown/Hirestown Road among the worst‑damaged sections. He said a state allocation of roughly $333,000 had arrived for particular roads but that that amount would not cover all needed repairs.

“Resurfacing” estimates provided on the program put a section of Route 509 at about $800,000 (shoulders extra) and the Nelson County portion of Hirestown Road at about $1.2 million, creating a multimillion‑dollar shortfall the judge said the county will pursue with state and federal partners, including FEMA, for reimbursement where eligible.

Hutchkins cautioned that large repairs will depend on multiple funding sources — gas‑tax revenue, state allocations and possible FEMA public‑assistance or hazard‑mitigation funding — and said he would review priorities with the county engineer and with state contacts. He recommended that residents keep records of damage and insurance inspections to support future claims and federal applications.

MT Horned, the District 3 East magistrate who represents affected southern areas, thanked county crews and volunteers for recovery work and highlighted the importance of a functioning 911/dispatch system during the event.

The county also reminded residents that some recovery steps — for example, floodplain permitting and the 50% substantial‑damage threshold that can trigger elevation, buyout or condemnation decisions — have legal and procedural consequences. Brad Spalding, identified on the program as the county floodplain coordinator and county engineer, was named as a point of contact for permitting questions.

The fiscal court was expected to discuss additional recovery coordination and potential funding tonight, Hutchkins said. He closed by thanking volunteer groups and local staff and reiterated help numbers and Facebook pages where the county will post ongoing updates.

The county supplied the following immediate contacts: Nelson County fiscal court office 270‑348‑1800; assistance/donations coordination 502‑357‑349 (Katherine).