Local woman housing grandma during flooding
Aug. 3—It was a heart-wrenching week for Laurel resident Jessie Eldridge as the flash flooding in eastern Kentucky threatened many of her family members.
Now Eldridge and her husband are housing Eldridge's 82-year-old grandmother — one of thousands affected by the devastation from the floods.
Jeannette Maggard and other family members live in Perry County's Buckhorn community and were stranded in their homes due to roads being destroyed by the flood waters.
"My family — grandma, aunt, uncles and cousins — live in Buckhorn, near where the dams broke," Eldridge said. "They lost power and water. It's estimated to take a week to a month to get it restored."
Eldridge said she spent most of the end of last week texting family members in that area to check on their well being.
"The roads were blocked by mudslides. My cousin brought some supplies and could drive to a point, then walk to the railroad tracks," Eldridge explained. "Another cousin had a four-wheeler and drove to meet her. She literally had to toss the stuff up a hill to him."
Maggard was able to leave home on Saturday, but only after the road crews brought equipment to move the mud off the roadway.
"Granny got to my mom's house on Saturday. That was the first day she could get out," Eldridge said.
Maggard, according to Eldridge, is doing fine and is currently staying at the Eldridge residence.
Although Maggard was one of the fortunate victims of the flooding, Eldridge said she worried for her grandmother's safety when the flooding began.
"I have a lot of family in Hazard and I was constantly texting my aunts and uncles and cousins to check to see if they were okay," she added.
Eldridge said although it is common for Hazard to flood, last week's raging storms created a disastrous situation for residents in eastern section.
"People talk about the 100-year flood," she said. "Everyone I've talked to has said this is a one-in-a-thousand year flood."
The flooding has already claimed 37 lives — as of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, with Governor Andy Beshear stating that the numbers might well rise as rescue and recovery efforts continue. Hundreds are still reported missing as the flood waters gushed through sections of eastern Kentucky — destroying homes, roads, schools and towns along the rivers. Others have been rescued from rooftops and clinging to trees, being lifted with rescue baskets by National Guard units from Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.
As for Eldridge, she's enjoying spending time with her grandmother and cherishing life in the wake of the horrific flooding.
"We're just blessed that everyone in our family is okay," she added.
