FALMOUTH, K.y. — The flood turned Brad Carroll’s garage into a washing machine. Six feet of water tossed and turned hundreds of neatly stacked items into soaking piles of chaos.
"When we finally got the door open, stuff fell out," Carroll said.
Watch water pour out of a seemingly dry printer:
More than two weeks after the Licking River swallowed parts of Pendleton County, Falmouth residents like Carroll are still facing a daunting cleanup challenge with little clarity on when — or if — government financial relief will arrive.
Carroll's garage was filled to the brim with his livelihood: a curated collection for flea markets and yard sales that is now largely ruined.
Now, he faces the overwhelming task of documenting his losses in hopes of receiving government assistance.
For every item, he writes a description and a presumed value. Then he takes a picture of it. Carroll said he’s done this for five to six hours a day for the past two weeks.
"Even if there's no financial relief, just tell me so I can quit doing this and just start throwing everything away," Carroll said, who added his flood insurance denied his claim.
Status of relief for Pendleton County
WCPO reached out to Rob Braun, the public information officer with Pendleton County’s Emergency Management Agency.
Braun said for public relief, three items were submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): the Butler sewer system, Falmouth water pumps and a county road heavily damaged by flooding.
Additionally, Braun said FEMA inspected individual situations, such as water in someone’s basement.
While he said Pendleton County was part of the commonwealth’s initial submittal for public relief, the county was not included in the request for individual relief.
State lawmaker appeals to governor
We also spoke with Kentucky state Rep. Mark Hart, who said he was already working to address the discrepancy.
"It's probably an oversight, or they didn't have the data to make the declaration yet," Hart said.
Hart officially requested Pendleton County's inclusion in a letter sent Thursday to Gov. Andy Beshear.
Governor responds to WCPO, highlighting federal delay
Beshear explained the commonwealth initially submitted counties with indisputable destruction to federal authorities.
“We’ve always followed an approach that we found most effective,” Beshear said at a news conference on Thursday. "What we do is then amend our request to add other counties. Pendleton would be one."
However, the holdup for any relief appears to be at the federal level. The White House hasn't yet declared the April 4-6 floods a disaster.
Beshear said he is checking with the White House daily.
We asked the governor for his message to residents anxious about the waiting game and the length of time it typically takes to get relief funds.
"My message is, number one, we are pushing and we are pushing, but you can too, call your congressman, call your senator now," Beshear said. "Hearing from you, having the specific story you're going through, can only help."
Hear Governor Beshear's full remarks below:
Damage in all forms
For residents like Betty Redding, the wait is causing immediate hardship.
Her freezer failed after the city turned the power off during the flood, spoiling about $200 worth of food. On a fixed income, she can't afford to replace it until her next Social Security check arrives.
“It makes me sick," Redding said.
She had just been to the store the morning her freezer failed.
"They say call the Red Cross, they’ll help you. Call FEMA. That’s a laugh. They’re supposed to help people in need. Yeah right," Redding said.
WCPO asked what happened when she called.
“Nothing. I'm still waiting,” Redding said.
Lack of answers or a timeline is the frustration
For Carroll and others affected by the flooding, the uncertainty about aid is becoming its own disaster.
Carroll said it’s been frustrating to have no idea whether to move forward expecting relief or starting from scratch.
"It's the lack of the final answer," Carroll said.
If you or someone you know is dealing with a similar flooding relief issue, you can reach out to me at andrew.rowan@wcpo.com.
