Gov. Beshear, Appalachian Regional Commission Co-Chair Gayle Manchin Announce Millions in Flood Recovery Funds
Funding will support housing developments in Letcher and Perry counties; Governor also announces registration now open for 2023 ARC Annual Conference
ASHLAND, Ky. (July 18, 2023) ? Today, Gov. Andy Beshear and Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin announced $5.3 million to help flood recovery efforts in Letcher and Perry counties. The funds will provide water and sewer service to new housing developments that are considered ?high-ground sites,? meaning they will be safe from future flooding events.
Gov. Beshear and Manchin also announced that registration is now open for the 2023 ARC Annual Conference. The conference will be held in Ashland, Kentucky, in September and will bring elected officials, business leaders and nonprofit organizations from across Appalachia to the commonwealth. Gov. Beshear and Manchin announced University of Kentucky Men?s Basketball Coach John Calipari will be the keynote speaker at the conference. Gov. Beshear?s fellow ARC governors elected him to serve as the States? Co-Chair for 2023.
?We?ve promised to be there for Eastern Kentucky until every structure, home and life is rebuilt,? said Gov. Beshear. ?Housing is our top priority, and the ARC has been an incredible partner to Kentucky as we recover. Our friends at ARC are always welcome in Kentucky, and we look forward to an amazing conference in September. We?re going to show off everything that makes Kentucky, and Eastern Kentucky, so special.?
?Appalachians know that helping our neighbors is a vital and sustaining part of living in our region. As such, ARC is proud to partner with Kentucky to award these grants to our Eastern Kentucky communities to aid in the rebuilding process following last year?s devastating and historic flooding. They serve as a great example of how we work with our state partners to help communities to recover and rebuild,? said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin.??We also recognize the resilience of these communities, and look forward to celebrating and learning from them in Ashland this fall at our ARC 2023 Annual Conference.?
Letcher County New Housing Project
Gov. Beshear and Manchin announced $896,972 from the ARC Base Program and $100,000 in ARC Co-Chair discretionary funds to help install water and sewer service to a new high-ground community in Letcher County. The project will install 1,900 feet of waterline and 5,500 feet of sewer line, serving 10 new homes.
Last month, Gov. Beshear joined local and federal officials to announce that 10 new manufactured homes will be available in Letcher County to eligible flood survivors. At that announcement, he said he hoped to have some good news to deliver soon from the ARC to support the project.
?When we announced plans for this high-ground site earlier this month, there was a feeling of hope in our community,? said Letcher County Judge/Executive Terry Adams. ?These additional funds are bringing us closer to completing this project. We also appreciate the additional support from Federal Co-Chair Manchin for including discretionary funds to help Letcher County.?
Perry County Sky View Estates Project
Gov. Beshear and Manchin announced that $4.4 million in ARC funds will go toward bringing water and sewer service to the future Sky View Estates housing development in Perry County. The funds will be matched by $4.4 million from the Eastern Kentucky SAFE funds. In the initial phase of this project, 153 homes will be built to replace homes that were lost during the 2022 flooding. The new development will be located just off Hal Rogers Parkway west of Exit 56.
Gov. Beshear initially announced plans for this high-ground site in January of this year.
?This new housing development is a huge win for Perry County,? said Perry County Judge/Executive Scott Alexander. ?With these additional funds, we are providing important infrastructure for families impacted by the flood, as well as for future families and Kentuckians. Perry County will be a better, safer place because of this announcement today.?
Rebuilding on High Ground
Gov. Beshear has now announced three high-ground building sites in Knott, Letcher and Perry counties.
Each of these communities is an opportunity to provide safe, affordable housing outside of the flood plain, including much-needed infrastructure and community buildings that can lift up the entire area.
Housing remains the No. 1 need in the area and the focus of recovery efforts in Eastern Kentucky.
Earlier this month, Gov. Beshear also announced funds to support a senior housing complex in Breathitt County that was damaged in the 2022 floods.
Team Kentucky Flood Relief Fund
To date, more than $13.2 million dollars has been raised from the generous donations of over 41,500 individuals and organizations from all over the world.
The fund has paid the funeral expenses of the 44 lives lost. It has provided direct financial assistance to survivors identified by FEMA. Over $1.175 million is committed to building new homes and home repair with nonprofit partners Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Housing Development Alliance and Homes Inc. These partners have nine homes either completed or under construction.
Remaining Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief funds will be used to build new homes on land acquired for high-ground communities and other sites for flood survivors.
The fund continues to accept much-needed donations. To donate, visit TeamEKYFloodReliefFund.ky.gov.
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