For the second time in four years, a Kentucky homeowner watched her life get waterlogged.
On February 16, 2025, heavy rainfall swept across Eastern Kentucky, causing widespread and record flooding in multiple counties. For Jody, it was a devastating repeat of a disaster she had already endured.
She felt helpless as water slowly crept across her yard toward her home. She knew that if it reached her house, she had no resources or recourse.
The water entered through the basement and quickly rose to the first floor. She lost everything, including her appliances, her furniture, her documents, and her peace.
For someone who had always valued independence, raising grandchildren and managing daily life on her own, the flood stripped away even the most basic abilities. Cooking, doing laundry, and maintaining a safe and clean environment became impossible without relying on others.
This is where your support makes a difference. The IN-KY Synod Disaster Response team routinely partners with trusted local organizations to respond when disaster strikes communities where our congregations live and serve. Your gifts strengthen these partnerships and make long-term recovery possible, not just short-term relief.
In Owsley County, that partner is Partnership Housing, Inc., an organization committed to creating safe and affordable housing in a region where it is often difficult to build and sustain it. After helping Jody recover from earlier flooding, they recognized that repairing her home again would not provide lasting safety. The risk and fear would remain.
Together, Partnership Housing and the IN-KY Synod used grant funding to make a new path possible. Instead of rebuilding in the same flood-prone location, they helped Jody move into a newly constructed home outside the floodplain, designed to be safe, secure, and energy efficient.
This effort required multiple partners. Donations, grants, and a low-interest loan covered much of the cost, but a critical funding gap remained. Your support helped close that gap and made it possible for Jody to move into a home where she no longer has to fear the next storm.
For the first time in years, she can sit on her porch and listen to the rain without panic. Cooking a meal, doing laundry, and caring for her grandchildren have once again become simple joys. “The security and independence I feel now is a huge burden off my shoulders,” she said.
The experience has changed her perspective on life. “These disasters have made me appreciate every moment, every small joy, and the ability to provide a safe home for my family,” she reflected.
To those who made this transformation possible, she offers her heartfelt thanks: “The gratitude I feel is immeasurable. Knowing I can live the rest of my days without fearing another flood, and that this home will be here for generations, is priceless. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Give to the IN-KY Disaster Response Fund
*Please select the IN-KY Synod Disaster Response Fund when making your gift.
