Floyd County officials fear ‘new normal’ as communities are hit with more flooding

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Since 2019, Floyd County has seen seven different flooding events with four of those occurring since Jan. 2022. This cycle has led officials to believe that regular floods may become the norm.

“The storms seem to be more severe in the last few years than what they had been in the past,” said Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams, “and this may be what we consider normal going forward. We just have to deal with it. We have to account for more water.”

After some severe weather and excessive rainfall on Thursday and Friday, waters rose once again in the Wayland community.

“Not nearly like we had back in July, but certainly, I think probably the depth of the flooding here this time was two to three feet in the lowest places around town,” said Wayland Mayor Jerry Fultz.

Water and mud covered some bridges and roads. Fultz added some homes closer to the creeks and streams had a small amount of water seep into their basements. All of this while still recovering from July 2022′s severe flooding.

“It’s mind-boggling and it’s heart-wrenching,” said Fultz. “You run into people that have been through this so many times, and it’s not just the severity of one, it’s the accumulation of all these floods that takes its toll.”

Despite all of the nasty weather, families and officials are still fighting and weathering the storms.

“We’re out here busting our butts, doing what we can, but we can’t stay ahead of the weather,” said Judge Williams. “I mean, Mother Nature, she’s just busted us right in the mouth here for the last four years and she’s let us know who’s boss.”

Judge Williams also added many setbacks have also plagued the county with the most recent floods, which have washed out some roads that were previously patched following the July flooding.

Copyright 2023 WYMT. All rights reserved.