As rising waters surrounded her home on the morning of July 29, Carolyn Combs felt a sense of déjà vu. The year before, water had flooded the first floor of her family’s home in Jackson, Ky.
Mrs. Combs, her husband, and their children lived on the second floor for months while the lower level was renovated, a project nearing completion when the 2022 storms began. Before evacuating this time, they moved as many possessions as possible upstairs in hopes of avoiding last year’s losses.
But this time, nearly 10 feet of water gathered and reached the second floor.
“Everything inside was completely, completely gone,” said Mrs. Combs, aged 37. “We had to throw everything away.” She estimated that after the initial flood, her family spent between $6,000 and $7,000 replacing items such as furniture and appliances. Now they had to start over.
When they evacuated, Mrs. Combs and her daughter each carried a backpack of clothes and small items such as phone chargers. Hours later, realizing there was likely damage, her children returned in a neighbor’s kayak to get critical medical care items for Mr. Combs, who is disabled.
Costs mounted quickly. Three nights in a hotel room was almost $500. With no room to cook, the family bought all meals, about $80 a day. Mrs. Combs recalled being shocked to discover that they had spent $75 on laundry alone in the first few days after the flood.
The Combses needed sanitary supplies such as toothbrushes and feminine care products. They bought food, crates and litter boxes for their pets.
After major disasters, such as the Kentucky floods, extensive cost analysis plays a role in losses reported to insurance companies or government agencies. But smaller expenses are often overlooked and rarely repaid, even though they can take a significant toll on an individual or family bank account.
“It’s just the simple things,” Ms. Combs said. “Shopping groceries, daily necessities, plus taking care of my kids, all while working two jobs. It is difficult for us to rebuild.”
The daily costs of reconstruction
The flooding in eastern Kentucky was so severe that President Biden passed a major disaster declaration for 13 counties. This allowed residents to receive assistance from government agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration.
The Combses knew their house was in a flood zone: in 2009, the house was damaged by about three feet of water before Mrs. Combs and her daughter moved in. of paid flood insurance.
The Combses then took over those payments for a few years until the costs — more than $500 a month, Ms. Combs said — became prohibitive. So when faced with flood damage again, they understood that they wouldn’t get help from the agency or insurance. Ms. Combs did apply for a loan from the Small Business Administration but was denied because of her credit, she said. Without government assistance, the family relied on organizations such as the American Red Cross and community support to make ends meet. A church group helped clean up the house, including throwing out the refrigerator, filled with spoiled food. Aspire Appalachia, a nonprofit organization based in Eastern Kentucky, installed new drywall and purchased some of the key fixtures the Combses needed to replace, including a toilet, washer and dryer.
Family and friends also helped by covering the price of the hotel stay, buying items from an Amazon wish list and paying for the teens’ back-to-school needs. It’s critical that the Combs can stay at a relative’s house for free while their house is being repaired.
They are blessed, as Mrs. Combs sees it. And yet, on a Friday night in March, almost eight months after the flood, she felt overwhelmed as she went through the receipts. The family is still paying for water and electricity despite not living in the damaged home. The ceiling downstairs is not finished yet and they still need a new heating system.
Mrs. Combs estimated they had spent a few thousand dollars getting back home. Adding past flood costs brings the total to above $10,000.
She hopes to move back into the house before her birthday on April 30 and expects to spend more on replacing missing household items. Priceless keepsakes of Ms Combs’ mother, who died after contracting Covid-19 in the same month as the 2021 flood, remain lost.
“I had several things that belonged to her that are gone,” Ms. Combs said. “Those kinds of things are the hardest things to think about.”
Beyond FEMA aid
According to a report by the Ohio River Valley Institute and the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, six in 10 households damaged by the floods of 2022 reported incomes of less than $30,000, and most had no flood insurance. For some, like the Combses, the policy cost was prohibitive; residents in the area say they have been paid more than $1,000 a month.
Others were believed to have lived in a flood plain only after the storm. That was the case for Polly Barse Fleming, who said her home in Neon, Ky., had been in her husband’s family for more than a century and had never experienced flooding before last July.
Four days before the heavy rain, Mrs. Barse Fleming, 42, bought her first new car. The $20,000 down payment for the Toyota Highlander, a practical choice for navigating the country roads to the high school where she teaches science, was a significant and carefully considered expense. Then her family had to borrow tens of thousands of dollars almost overnight to cover the costs of a disaster.
The house now relies on jacks to stay upright. Ms. Barse Fleming applied for FEMA funding, and after a personal assessment of the damage, the agency sent $40,000. FEMA bases these numbers on reported losses and needs, explaining that its support will not make a survivor “whole,” but is intended to help with basic living expenses.
The family of Mrs. Barse Fleming used the money for a down payment on a double-built house. This choice was strategic: She said her insurance agent explained that the double-wide policy would cover flooding, saving the family additional monthly costs. This was a selling point because even with FEMA funding and pre-approval for a Small Business Administration loan, personal expenses have increased.
In addition to jacks for the house, the family needed cleaning supplies and extra gas money for the longer route Mrs. Barse Fleming takes to work to avoid damaged roads. She also lost her garden, which used to supply the family with tomatoes, squash, peppers and other produce – food that she also fed to her turtles and lizards.
Like Ms. Combs, Ms. Barse Fleming thanks others for providing critical assistance in covering these costs. One notable donation was a double bass from WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, a non-profit organization, for her 13-year-old daughter, a musician.
“Many of us have gotten our lives back on track thanks to the generosity of others,” said Ms Barse Fleming. “There was no way our family could have afforded new furnishings for the house in addition to everything else we were trying to do.”
Floods wash away wealth
According to Wallace Caleb Bates, community outreach coordinator at Aspire Appalachia, the organization that helped the Combs family, factoring in day-to-day expenses after a disaster is a common experience. He talked about a flood survivor who realized she didn’t have cooking utensils — how the items you take for granted can be especially daunting to replace.
Scott McReynolds, executive director of Housing Development Alliance, another local nonprofit, said it wasn’t just household items that were lost — many residents lost cars, equipment, toys or furniture left in their yards. His house was left untouched, Mr. McReynolds said, but he had to pay about $2,500 to repair his driveway.
Even families whose property was not damaged faced additional costs after the storm. Much of the region was without water and power for weeks. Months later, residents are still paying high prices for in-demand goods such as home materials and may have to drive farther to make purchases as local stores rebuild.
“I wonder how much wealth in the area — and we’re a pretty poor area to begin with — has literally been washed down the creek,” said Mr. McReynolds.
Ms. Combs said some people had told her they would leave if they were in her position, but she hadn’t thought too much about that idea. Family and friends are here, in addition to her two jobs and her children’s school.
And then there are the financial considerations. Despite living in a flood plain, the Combs own their land, which was passed down through Mr. Combs’ family. If they moved, they would have to pay land, rent, or a mortgage, and would still have to bear the cost of new furniture, clothing, and the other household items they are trying to replace.
“You just want to go home, you know?” said Mrs. Combs. “Everyone wants to go home. But I don’t know if I could do it a third time.”
