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Oldham County Water
Helps in Eastern Kentucky
The pictures do not capture the vile devastation caused by the flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Entire houses destroyed, roads washed away, and people left with no water. Bowen describes the scene as “Overwhelming.” Our staff at Oldham County Water and surrounding utilities are working together to get water to these communities.
Oldham County Water CEO, Russ Rose, and Field Operations Supervisor, Brent Bowen, delivered a tanker load with 6,000 gallons of water to a hospital in Whitesburg, a town in Eastern Kentucky, after hearing about the flood disaster. We currently have two people on site in the Hazard, KY area, Brent Bowen and Palmer Coomes. The two have been there since August 3rd and will be stationed there in the coming weeks. We needed to have somewhere to house those working so Rose traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas to haul the National Rural Water Disaster Response Unit to be used as a mobile command center for the “boots on the ground.” Utilities and organizations are all working diligently to restore water sources. Kentucky Rural Water has been a huge asset during this process coordinating disaster repair efforts, as well as the Kentucky Warn organization that has aided in providing and distributing resources. The first day was spent accessing the situation, gathering materials, and creating a game plan on where to begin. The team has been working daily to fix leaks, replace water lines, and restore service to customers. Our team has enjoyed working closely with our neighbors; Lagrange Utilities and Louisville Water during this process. While there is a long way to go, progress is being made thanks to all the responding utilities across the State that have pitched in. While we have a crew in Eastern Kentucky, the remaining staff is picking up the slack. Although short-staffed, everyone is filling in the gaps to keep operations running smoothly here in Oldham County. We are grateful for a dedicated team who goes above and beyond to help people. Our hearts go out to the communities in Eastern Kentucky. The work is far from over and we plan to continue to do what we can. We're one of many local Agencies lending a hand, but together we can make a real difference.
