Knott Co. officials making progress in flood recovery

KNOTT COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Rebuilding after the July 2022 flood hasn’t been easy across the region.

Knott County officials are working towards plans of rebuilding.

Back in May, the Natural Resource Conservation Service launched its Emergency Watershed Protection Buyout program, offering flood survivors the chance to sell their homes at the pre-flood value.

“They’re rolling them out five to ten at a time and we’re at that point, handing it over to the appraiser and he’s going out to visit with the homeowners,” said Knott County Judge Executive Jeff Dobson.

He added that the Kentucky River Area Development District is administering the project for them, saying that it is going well.

“The final deadline was Sept. 30th and here we are mid-October, we’re already seeing appraisals starting to take place. So, we’re pretty excited, it’s a major step in the right direction,” he explained.

Dobson said the faster they can get through the process, the better.

“To follow the appraisals, we’ll start seeing some approvals come in and get some money into folks’ hands to give them the opportunity to move on to their next step in life,” he said.

He said it could not be done without different agencies coming together.

“None of this would be possible without the federal and state assistance. We continue to see Congressman Rogers, Senator McConnell fighting for Eastern Kentucky,” he said.

Dobson said their other projects are going well.

“We have two higher-ground community projects in play here. We’re thankful to see the Chestnut Ridge, near the Knott County Sportsplex, it’s moving along. The Olive Branch, near the Knott/Perry county line, is moving along as well,” he said.

He said they hope to break ground on those projects by mid to late January.

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