EKY family experiencing a somber Christmas after flood and arctic blast

BUCKHORN, Ky. (WYMT) - Flood survivors living in travel trailers in Crocketsville had to be transported by first responders to Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park after water lines froze due to the arctic blast.

The evacuation happened so fast, one family was not able to bring their Christmas presents along.

“What little presents we did have, the kids didn’t, we didn’t have time to bring nothing. We didn’t have too much time to evacuate or whatever,” Josh Cockerham, who is a husband and father of four, said.

What they do have during this time is a temporary cabin, and even a Christmas movie on display, but the usual early morning excitement was actually a painful reminder of uncertainties from this year.

“Adults, you know, we’re different. We grew out of a lot of stuff, but like I said what little stuff we did have, we didn’t really have no money to buy much, but what stuff they had, they didn’t get to open it,” Josh Cockerham said.

What continues to be on their mind is the hard task of finding a new permanent home after losing everything they owned.

Josh Cockerham made money in the past by logging and other handy work, but the cold has made job seeking difficult.

“We gotta find a place to rent, which I ain’t got the money to rent a place, or fix our house back, which I ain’t got the money to fix the house back neither,” he said.

While the Cockerham family is happy to be together this holiday weekend, the thrill Christmas usually brings is instead a chill.