Floyd, Martin counties to benefit from flood relief bill
Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, was congratulated Friday upon the passage of House Bill 1, a disaster relief bill for flood damage in Eastern Kentucky, in the House.
State Reps. Ashley Tackett Laferty, D-Martin, (left) and Norma Kirk-McCormick, R-Inez, signed paperwork as co-sponsors of House Bill 1, a disaster relief bill for flood damage in Eastern Kentucky.
By TONY FYFFE
BSN Editor
FRANKFORT — Floyd and Martin counties will benefit from a $213 million flood relief package approved last week by the Kentucky General Assembly.
The General Assembly wrapped up a major, bipartisan push Friday to send millions in emergency aid to ravaged communities in Eastern Kentucky, where dozens have died and thousands remain homeless in the aftermath of record flooding.
The House and Senate voted in unison to finalize the relief package for counties, including Floyd and Martin, that fell under a federal disaster declaration following several days of torrential rainfall in July.
The flood relief package, House Bill 1, was the result of a three-day special session that began last Wednesday with a focus on providing funds for recovery efforts. Several lawmakers referred to the package as the first phase in a long recovery process.
The bill’s primary sponsor, John Blanton, R-Salyersville, said the General Assembly needed to address immediate needs resulting from the flooding.
“We’re not really ready to start looking long term because we still got these immediate things going on with people living in tents,” Blanton said. “They’re living in shelters, and we got to get a roof over these people’s heads before cold weather gets here.”
HB 1 establishes the Eastern Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies (EKSAFE), which provides $115 million to the state Division of Emergency Management for recovery efforts and $45 million to the state Transportation Cabinet to repair roads and bridges.
The state Department of Education will also receive $40 million for building repairs and necessary wrap around services, such as after-school programs, mental health care and transportation.
The bill also gives local school boards more flexibility when it comes to construction bids to help expedite the process. In addition, it lets school districts waive up to 15 instructional days and use 20 remote instruction days. It also gives teachers emergency leave days if a teacher needs to miss school to assist in recovery efforts, such as attending a meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials.
Government entities or nonprofits that receive money from the EKSAFE fund and subsequently receive monies for the same damages from FEMA will be required to refund the EKSAFE money, Blanton said.
Nearly $12.7 million in fiscal year 2022-2023 from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is also earmarked for EKSAFE. Funds will be used to repair water and sewer infrastructure.
Lawmakers said the funding approved last week is just the beginning, and Blanton stressed that $75 million of the funds channeled toward Emergency Management can be used for immediate housing such as trailers.
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, and the lead sponsor for the relief package in the Senate, said on Thursday that some residents are frustrated with the bureaucracy at FEMA, saying that it has “not moved fast enough.”
“I think we’ve taken a step that we’ve had to take in getting this through,” Stivers said. “I think the key and critical component now, from first-hand experience, is for the federal government to get out on the ground, reach out to these people, get assessments and the dollars that they are justly entitled and qualified for out the door and into their hands.”
Stivers said the second phase is for legislators to meet with those in the executive branch during the 2023 regular session.
On Friday afternoon, Gov. Andy Beshear was joined by Stivers and House Speaker David W. Osborne in the Capitol Rotunda for the signing of HB 1.