‘The creek swallowed everything’: Pike County animal rescue owner yet to return home following July floods

PIKE COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - In July 2022, flooding impacted many communities across Eastern Kentucky. In the Dorton community of Pike County, Rob Elkins and his wife, Robin Elkins, live and work on their non-profit animal rescue called 3-Mile Creek Farms.

When the waters rose, Rob Elkins was not focused on his own home, but his rescue animals.

“I said, you all stay here, stay safe, I got to go to my animals,” said Elkins “So, I run back up here to check on all of our animals, by this time, the bottom was under the creek, the house was in water.”

Despite his best efforts, Elkins could not save all of the farm’s animals and his home was severely damaged.

“It was the hardest rain, like, I’ve never seen rain like it before, and in just literally minutes, the creek had swallowed everything,” he said.

The house was nearly a total loss. Elkins and his family have yet to move back into the home and debris is still strewn around his property nearly seven months later.

“We’ve still not got back in our house and there’s, I mean, we’ve done tons of stuff, the biggest thing that it’s knocked off its foundation, it’s going to cost a fortune to fix that back, and level it back up, so the doors and windows will shut,” he said.

Despite all that has happened, Elkins says he and his family are blessed.

“So many people lost their lives, lost family members, lost everything they had ever worked for in their life, so as horrific and awful as it is, we’re still blessed,” said Elkins. “God blessed us to still have our home. It’s in shambles, but we still have a home.”

Elkins also added that the farm is still taking in rescues and have taken in nearly 40 animals in the past month alone.

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