Flood Survivor Assistance
Would You Like To:
Our Impact
For East KY Flood Survivors
Of a planned 12 new homes (4 each to be built in Breathitt, Knott & Perry counties!)
Flood Disaster Relief & Recovery
Historic flooding has devastated eastern Kentucky. Three of the four counties we serve – Breathitt, Knott, and Perry – are some of the hardest hit. In these counties, the national news media has shown the world the destruction and heartache: entire neighborhoods gone, homes demolished, lives lost and so many others forever changed. The people we serve were poor and struggling before this flood, and now, the need is staggering. As we begin our long-term recovery efforts, we need your help! Please volunteer, donate, send supplies/gifts in-kind, whatever you can do to lend a hand to our community.
There isn't enough funding available to meet the needs of flood survivors in our area. As a nonprofit - 501 (c) (3) - affordable housing developer, we rely on the generosity of our donors, partners, and community supporters to help make this work possible.
Data from FEMA and the Red Cross
Other Ways to Donate
If you’d rather not donate online, there are other ways you can show your support for the people of East Kentucky through the Housing Development Alliance!
- Send a check, cash donation, or in-kind gift to Housing Development Alliance, Inc., P.O. Box 7284, Hazard, KY 41702. In the memo, be sure to note that your donation is for the “Housing Can’t Wait Fund.”
- Drop off a check, cash donation, or in-kind gift at our office located at 2871 North Main St., Hazard, KY 41701.
- Volunteer! (More info below.)
How to Volunteer
Come Make a Difference You Can See & Feel!
If you’d like to help rebuild East Kentucky, please come serve with us! Opportunities are available to help out at worksites in Perry, Breathitt, and Knott counties, where we will be building 12 homes (with more to follow!) and making dozens of flood-related repairs. Just contact our office at 606-436-0497 and ask for Julia or email Julia. Julia is an AmeriCorps Direct Service Member serving at HDA and is coordinating our flood relief & recovery volunteers. She and our Volunteer Coordinator will work with you to select the best day and time for your service and will assign you or your group a project/worksite! Once you know your work day, prepare to arrive at our office at the designated time. (Click here to see a map of our office location.)
You can also sign up to volunteer online. Julia or our Volunteer Coordinator will then reach out to you ASAP!
What You'll Be Doing
- Building New Homes for Flood Survivors
- Repairing Homes Damaged By the Flood
- Mucking Out Homes, Basements & Crawlspaces (Still Needed 3 Months After the Flood! )
- Mold Control & Remediation
You’ll be helping folks who have lost everything or whose homes have been severely damaged. The help you give will bring hope to our community and will help keep survivors from reaching their breaking point.
You can volunteer as an individual or group. Please come prepared! You must have your own transportation, food & drinks for your service day(s), and if you do not wish to utilize volunteer lodging arranged by HDA at one of our local churches, you will have to arrange accommodations for yourself and/or group. Bringing your own tools isn’t necessary, but you’re welcome to do so if you’d like. Be sure to wear boots (muck boots with a steel toe are preferred/please do not wear flip flops or Crocs), gloves (leather preferred), and safety goggles. We have a limited supply of some of these items, as well as knee pads, Nitrile gloves, and Tyvek suits. We also suggest wearing pants instead of shorts.
Occasionally, due to flood damage, roads close for repairs in our area, which might cause us to change our plans for your work day. Please understand that roads often close without warning, making some of our worksites inaccessible. If this happens or if heavy rains cause us to shut down a worksite, we will reschedule with you or if possible, send your group to help one of our community partners that is also involved in the recovery efforts.
If you have questions, please call us ahead of your trip: 606-436-0497.
Resources for Flood Survivors
We know it’s overwhelming right now, but help is available in this time of crisis. If we can’t directly help you, we’ll connect you to someone who may be able to offer the assistance you need.
Local Disaster Recovery Groups
Help and resources are available to you through Flood Relief & Recovery Groups active in each county. Each group conducts regular meetings that are open to the public. Below we have listed contact information for each of these groups.
Breathitt County Long Term Recovery Team
Knott County Rising
Perry County Disaster Recovery Group
Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief
Gov. Andy Beshear has established the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund to assist those impacted by the floods and the severe weather system beginning July 26, 2022. Click the icon to be taken to a page with more info & helpful resources.
Helpful Guides & Materials
Mold Prevention
We still receive calls and emails from folks needing help with mold control. Mold is a common problem after flooding and can be harmful to your health. It must be effectively cleared before you can start rebuilding. Remember: you can’t get rid of mold with bleach or vinegar! Neither is capable of cleaning below the surfaces of wood or concrete. You need a fungicide, like Concrobium, because these are cleaning agents made specifically for killing mold. If a fungicide isn’t used, the mold can and will regrow!
Useful Materials
Thanks to SBP for these helpful guides!
Photo by Clara Leonard / Appalachia Service Project
Flood Stories, Videos & Photo Collections
Check out helpful videos, “boots on the ground” stories, and photos from our hard hit community.
Photo Collection Courtesy of Clara Leonard / Appalachia Service Project
Our Supporters
It takes a whole community to help a whole community recover, and we are super inspired by the incredible strength and support of our Eastern Kentucky (and broader) community. Here’s just some of the many funding and networking supporters of the Housing Development Alliance’s Housing Can’t Wait Fund.
- Appalachians for Appalachia
- Berea College Appalachian Fund
- Blue Ridge Insurance Group
- Church of the Holy Spirit
- Coalition for Home Repair
- Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund
- Eastman Foundation
- Fahe
- First United Methodist Church - Champaign, IL
- Flat Rock Holiness Church
- Flour Creek Christian Church
- Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
- Franciscan Friars
- Grace Immanuel United Church of Christ
- Greenwood United Methodist Church
- Holy Trinity Catholic Church
- Home Lumber Company
- Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
- Ink Blot Shop LLC
- James Graham Brown Foundation
- Kelsey Speaks - "Americana for Appalachia" Benefit Concert
- KYANA Charities, Inc.
- Louisville Water Company
- Marion County Cattlemen's Association
- Mountain View Independent Methodist Church
- Paris Stockyard
- People's Self-Help Housing, Inc.
- Photography by Larry Witt
- Southeastern Kentucky Rehabilitation Industries, Inc.
- Temple University Honors Program
- The Benevity Community Impact Fund
- The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington
- The Mulhollem Cravens Foundation
- The Welcome Class - FBC Cumming, GA
- Washington County Livestock Center, Inc.
