Families, businesses in Estill Co. looking forward to flood relief from FEMA
ESTILL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Good news for the people of Estill County. FEMA was out in the county Thursday with emergency management officials to survey the area for federal assistance.
Church groups and other volunteers have been helping the people of Estill County pick up the pieces, but news that FEMA has come to assess the damage is a blessing for many.
“We need it. We need that help from the federal government... We sure do,” Paul Arvin said.
We have continued to follow up with Paul Arvin and his son Caden after their home was under water. He went from shock, to doing okay, and back to stress again after the restoration team gave him an assessment on the future of his home in Irvine. But the biggest blessing, is the people that have stepped up to volunteer.
The good news is that he knows this isn’t a one time thing.
“If I reach out to these people again and say, ‘hey I need help to demolish whatever’ they would be back over here tomorrow and sort of help me,” Arvin said.
The federal government usually is able to help out families in situations like this, but for businesses like Michael’s Restaurant in Ravenna, things are a little different.
“The water has never gotten up to have any problems. So we didn’t have any flood insurance. And that’s just a mistake,” Michael Woolery said.
A mistake that now has left his business that’s loved by people in the community, state, and internationally, with the question of when they will be able to feed them again.
“The minimum of four months and usually you miss some things so I’d say about six months,” Woolery said.
Michael’s had already been closed for COVID precautions, but the owner loves making people smile, and is looking forward to serving his country cooking again. The biggest challenge is if his business qualifies for federal aid.
Hopefully after the assessments, funds can be distributed to the people that really need it to help them rebuild.
Copyright 2021 WKYT. All rights reserved.
