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Eastern Kentucky Storms

Eastern Kentucky Hit by Tornadoes, Flooding

On Saturday, May 8, Kirksville, Kentucky near Richmond was slammed by a tornado leaving two people dead and many more homeless.  At its strongest point tornado winds possibly exceeded 200 mph. The tornado that struck Madison County traveled 19.5 miles in 21 minutes.

The story was similar across 15 Eastern Kentucky counties hit by the weekend's storms. Flash flooding and mudslides threw other areas of Eastern Kentucky into turmoil. Pike County had widespread flooding and there was extensive damage to homes, roads, and water lines. A lot of areas are still under water.

Some of the worst-hit areas were in northeast Floyd and Pike counties, near the West Virginia state line. Bridges were washed out in Hardy and a couple of other areas.  Places that rarely flood were taken by surprise when runoff from ground water quickly filled tiny creeks. Most of the damage was done by overflowing creeks and tributaries —Turkey Creek, Johns Creek, Pond Creek — not by the bigger rivers. Salisbury United Methodist in Floyd County withstood serious damage with flooding in their basement area. The National Weather Service said that 2 to 6 inches of rain fell in some parts of Eastern Kentucky Friday and early Saturday.

Methodist Churches answering the call

In the Prestonsburg District at least two churches have been called upon to help with the relief efforts taking place. Graceway UMC in Langley is an official Red Cross shelter location and feeding station. As such, the church is serving close to 300 people per day.  Hardy UMC is also serving as a feeding station serving the Pike County area and is feeding approximately 300 people from the surrounding area, including members from Belfry and Stone United Methodist Churches. Both Belfry UMC and Stone UMC sustained damages in the storms. 

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is answering the call as well.  Thanks to UMCOR, financial help and 500 flood bucket are on the way to the Eastern Kentucky area.

If you would like to help, volunteers are needed for the next 2 weeks to muck and clean mud and debris out of homes so that recovery can move forward.  Volunteers must have an up-to-date tetanus shot.  Housing will be available at local churches.   The following equipment is recommended:  shovels, wheelbarrows, pressure washers and bleach.  (Note:  some equipment might be available at certain sites, please inquire when you schedule your team).