FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — State and local officials each have their own ways to share information about current and changing conditions facing Kentuckians. Frankfort and Franklin County officials are working together to keep their local residents informed.
Frankfort Mayor Layne Wilkerson and Franklin County Judge Executive Michael Mueller sat down Wednesday morning to give updates on the Kentucky River by sitting down and making a video.
“The river is still at almost 42 ft, so everyone needs to be mindful of that,” Mueller said. Wilkerson added, “it's projected to drop overnight down below flood levels sometime tomorrow.”
These video updates began over the weekend, and the two record their updates twice a day.
“When people woke up in the morning, we wanted them to know kind of what happened overnight,” Mueller said. “In the evenings we kind of recap of what happened during the day and what's expected to come the next day.”
“We want to make sure that the public has what they need to deal with this flooding situation,” said Wilkerson.
The flooding updates carry a similar feel and purpose to the daily updates Governor Andy Beshear provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have a great relationship working with the city and the county and that there's a unified front we can put forward,” Wilkerson said about the partnership between the city and the county. “That's something that I think a lot of communities don't have so I think for us it's a natural and and I think the community appreciates that and they want to see that.”
“We’re hitting every angle we can and at the end of the day we're just trying to keep people safe,” said Mueller. “That is our number one goal here, safety.”
The Kentucky River hit its second-highest crest in Frankfort during the flood. Across Franklin County, Mueller shared more than 500 structures were damaged, and crews made around 200 rescues.
The water levels reminded Mueller of a previous flood in 1997.
“I was living on the river in '97 when it was 45 ft and I was affected,” he said. “We had to move everything out with canoes. I lost a lot of things.”
“I'm very, very happy that the mayor and I are in these positions to help lead our community and keep everybody safe.”
The daily updates will continue a little longer as the Franklin County community navigates the challenge of trying to return to normal in the coming days and weeks.
The community has been active as well, with people asking for help and donating to the Franklin County Community fund set up by Wilkerson and Mueller. So far, it has already raised over $20,000. You can find more information about how you can help the flood relief here.
