BEATTYVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Cleanup continues for flood-ravaged areas of Kentucky. In Beattyville, city workers and first responders have joined business owners and locals to hose down Main Street, power spray sidewalks, and remove debris.
“Monday compared to Friday, it looks a lot better, so it's not nearly as bad as what it was,” said Ronnie Davidson, assessing the damage to the Valero gas station where he works on Beattyville’s Main Street.
Flashbacks of flash flooding came to Davidson’s mind as he prepared for last month’s extreme weather.
“I was very nervous. Being in that last flood and saying it was gonna flood again…it kinda brought back memories,” said Davidson.
In the 2021 flooding, a boat rescued Davidson from his home. This time around, the flooding was far less impactful, but brutal nonetheless.
With empty shelves and mud still covering the interior of the Valero, workers hope they’ll reopen by May.
Down the street, the smoke shop reopened just days after the flooding. Employee Jameka Shuler described an all-hands-on-deck effort to make it happen.
“We were here every day working for a good week to two weeks, and it was just hellacious,” said Shuler, who lived through the last flood.
“We were just so used to it already from the last flood,” said Shuler. “The last one was just a shock out of nowhere. It hit hard, and this one, it was just like, 'Ope, another flood, let's get it cleaned up.'”
As they did with the last flood, community members are coming together to lighten the load for everyone.
“When one of us got done with one of our shops, we would just go to the other shop and say 'Hey do you need help?’ It's a good thing we're all close and a tight knit community,” said Shuler.
