Kentucky Flood Relief

July 2015 – March 2025

All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) is back on the ground in Kentucky after its third catastrophic flood event in just five years. In 2022, we launched a volunteer-powered relief program following the historic flash floods that struck Eastern Kentucky on July 27, the most destructive in the state’s history. Our teams worked tirelessly to provide immediate relief, clearing debris, sanitizing homes and working with the community to ensure the highest level of support to those affected. Now, as Kentucky once again faces widespread devastation, we are leveraging our experience, local partnerships and the dedication of our volunteers to bring hands-on support to those in need.

Find the details about volunteering on this program here.

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Current Activities

AHAH wasted no time in the early days after the disaster, sending a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to assist in immediate relief efforts, connecting with our previous partners and local homeowners to assess the most pressing needs. The damage was unmistakable, requiring extensive mucking and gutting in flood-damaged homes, immediate mold sanitations and distribution of essential supplies for affected residents. In addition to direct clean-up work, AHAH volunteers are supporting distribution centers and coordinating with local officials to ensure aid reaches those most in need.

Floyd County, Spring 2025

Floyd County, Kentucky, experienced its third catastrophic flood in five years, with entire communities submerged under two to six feet of water. Hundreds of residents have been displaced, over 40,000 were left without power or heat and at least 24 lives were lost due to the historic flooding. Severe weather threatened ongoing recovery efforts, with a Winter Storm Warning complicating an already precarious situation. More than 300 roads have been closed, cutting off access to those in urgent need of assistance.

In the town of Allen, Floyd County, entire homes were submerged, and debris was found tangled in treetops, a haunting measure of how high the floodwaters rose. This storm didn’t just hit isolated areas like in the 2022 historic flooding, it impacted the entire county, with hundreds of homes underwater or without power or heat. Even the courthouse required mucking out.

Allen’s Mayor, Ernestine Hall, has been both a leader in recovery efforts and a survivor of the disaster herself. She met with our team to address the urgent needs of at least 50 severely affected homes in her town. The flood’s toll was visible everywhere, piles of debris lining the streets and exhausted residents facing an uphill battle to rebuild their lives.

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Program History

JOHNSON COUNTY, JULY 2015 - AUGUST 2015

Heavy storms caused flash flooding in areas of Kentucky on July 6, 2015, devastating an eight-mile stretch of residential neighborhoods and rural land. In Johnson County, the most affected region of Kentucky, there were reportedly 150 homes completely destroyed, with 400 more severely damaged. Our response team managed the main Donations Center, helping those who lost everything. Teams in the field also did minor tree work and cleared debris in creeks that were in danger of more flooding.

EASTERN KENTUCKY, JULY 2022 - SEPTEMBER 2022

Heavy rains hit eastern Kentucky on July 27 into the morning of July 28, 2022, causing historic flash flooding. Heavy rains continued in the area and, in some places, were up to the roofline of homes, causing widespread damage and displacement. Our six-week Kentucky Flood Relief program mobilized over 400 volunteers to address urgent community needs in hard-to-access rural communities. We completed critical muck-and-gut work on 85 homes, trained locals in home sanitization to combat black mold and established a dehumidifier loan program to support long-term recovery efforts.