Noem: FEMA committed to flood relief in Kentucky despite questions about agency’s future

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Flood recovery efforts across Kentucky will cost “hundreds of millions” of dollars, Gov. Andy Beshear said, as the state continues to bounce back from the February storms that claimed more than 20 lives.

Speaking Wednesday evening before Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other FEMA officials held a briefing to discuss flood relief, the governor said more work is ahead while thanking the federal team for their response over the past 12 days.

“There was zero politics played in any of this,” he said. “They turned it around, they did their jobs and I’m grateful for the people of the commonwealth of Kentucky. And while I know there’s different discussion that’s out there about the future, I can tell you in the present, they did what we needed and are continuing to do what we need.”

The state has reported 23 deaths due to the storms, with many due to attempts to drive through water and several more attributed to hypothermia, as temperatures plummeted in the days after the floods. Eleven counties in Kentucky are currently eligible for FEMA aid, with additional designations possible, and the federal Small Business Administration has approved disaster loans in 22 counties.

Noem, who took a helicopter ride over affected areas Wednesday afternoon with other agency officials, acknowledged “reforms” are coming to FEMA, which the former governor of South Dakota now leads as part of President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

The president last month said he’s considering “getting rid of” the emergency response agency and instead allowing the government to provide aid directly to states. Billionaire Elon Musk has pushed forward significant cuts to the federal government since joining Trump’s team and has been critical at times of FEMA, though the accuracy of many of his claims has been called into question.

Noem has said she would support ending the agency “the way it exists today” and giving more power to local officials. She reiterated those comments Wednesday in Frankfort after her tour, which came hours after she and Small Business Administration leader Kelly Loeffler, also in attendance in Kentucky, met with Trump in his first full cabinet meeting.

“If you saw a reduction in spending, it’s probably going to be less people needed at the administrative level or less buildings in Washington, D.C., and more of those dollars being able to be deployed down to the local level,” Noem told reporters ahead of a tour of the Kentucky Emergency Management office.

Many state legislators have said they would welcome such moves in the aftermath of the 2022 floods, which killed more than 40 people in Eastern Kentucky.

Rep. Mitch Whitaker, R-Fleming-Neon, said his community was devastated after that storm, and dealing with FEMA was a “huge issue” for his constituents, many of whom were denied benefits that their neighbors were granted and felt the agency was not transparent.

More coverage: From a long line of first responders: Water rescue captures hearts in Eastern Kentucky

State Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said last week he would welcome FEMA “sending the money to where it is needed and letting the people who know how to use it, use it,” with safeguards such as audits in place.

Whitaker added many of his neighbors were required to buy flood insurance in 2022 after storms rocked the region, but a number of them were unable to afford it. Noem said the country’s flood insurance program is also in need of reform, as it’s currently “so unaffordable for so many people.”

“That’s something that Congress is going to have to help us with,” she said. “… If (families are) making a choice between whether to put food on the table for their kids or buy flood insurance, I guarantee you their kids are going to come first.”

In the meantime, more relief is needed. Noem said she’d heard stories of families who have been “absolutely devastated” by the storm, which has rendered key areas in many towns uninhabitable as cleanup efforts continue.

Eric Gibson, director of Kentucky Emergency Management, said about 2,300 people in the state are still without water, and about 20 state bridges were damaged, along with “many, many” county roads. Power outages are no longer an issue, he said — after peaking at about 40,000 outages statewide — but debris cleanup continues. Nearly 300 people are still sheltering at state parks, according to a Wednesday release from Beshear’s office.

State Sens. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, and Scott Madon, R-Pineville, have had as close of a look at the damage as anyone. They live in regions of Eastern Kentucky that were hit hard.

Speaking Wednesday morning in a Senate committee meeting, Madon said the initial repair estimate for the five counties he represents — Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher — is $30 million. Wheeler, meanwhile, said preliminary estimates in Pike County alone probably exceed $50 million.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” said Wheeler, whose law office in Pikeville was flooded during the storm. “… To see businesses that you shopped at your entire life, small businesses, clothing stores, pharmacies, grocery stores completely underwater is something that you don’t get over really easy.”

Residents and business owners whose properties took damage during the floods can apply for assistance via DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA app. Beshear has encouraged those who want to help to contribute to the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund, which he said has now raised enough money to cover funeral costs for each person killed.

Reporter Hannah Pinski contributed. Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kristi Noem tours Kentucky flood damage, says FEMA is ready to help

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