McLean County continues to be impacted by flooding

Yahoo

27-02-2025

Thanks to January's and February's rain and snow, McLean County continues to face issues with flooding across the entire county. County Judge-Executive Curtis Dame issued a local State of Emergency on Saturday in order to allow the county government to help with the flooding relief efforts.
According to the 'Declaration of a local State of Emergency' from the office of the judge-executive, the State of Emergency was issued because current 'conditions endanger the public's health and welfare,' the current 'situation creates a considerable hardship for the citizens of McLean County' and the 'government has the responsibility to protect the public health, safety and welfare and to mitigate the effects of such events.'
The 'Declaration of a local State of Emergency' allows the county to offer assistance to citizens in need. The document also states that 'all agencies of McLean County shall cooperate to the fullest extent and shall provide such assistance as may be required for response to the emergency'. The 'Declaration of a local State of Emergency' also allows the county judge-executive to wave procedures other required by law that pertain to 'performance of public work, entering into contracts, incurring obligations, employment of permanent and temporary workers, utilization of volunteer workers, rental of equipment and appropriation and expenditure of public funds.'
Judge-Executive Dame said that the county's designation as a 'Storm Ready' community has allowed emergency management teams to be better prepared to deal with the flooding issues.
'Getting certified as 'Storm Ready' last year has allowed us to have an efficient plan in place to provide better communication between agencies and a better allocation of community resources,' he said.
So far, the county hasn't faced any main road closures, besides a lane closure on Highway 431 outside of Island. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) public information officer Matt Hughes explained last week that the closure was due to a landslide that washed away dirt from under the roadway which, in turn, caused one of the roadway's lanes to sink about 8 inches. Hughes estimated that the closure will extend into March because the repairs can't be made until the weather warms up.
'As Island residents, we're pretty well used to this,' said McLean County Magistrate Robert Bishop. 'Granted, the flood waters can pose dangers for our community members, but most of us have been through this before and, if they haven't personally, they know someone who has been, so they know how to prepare. Plus, we're such a small community that helps take care of each other. We will persevere.'
Dame said that county officials have used the Flood Insurance Rate mapping from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to determine which locations around the county would be most affected by flooding.
'About 60% of McLean County is zone for flooding, so having a proper plan in place is critical for success in times like these,' he said.
Dame said, that with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Daviess County Emergency Management Agency, the county has been able to distribute more than 250 sandbags to residents to assist with the relief efforts.
The Green River at Calhoun crested at around 32 feet over the weekend, which was earlier than initially anticipated by experts. The Green River flooding in Calhoun has left areas like downtown Calhoun and Rumsey underwater.
'We're not too bad off with the river at 32 feet,' Dame explained. 'But if we reach in the 34 feet ballpark, that's when we'll have to make alternative plans, especially in the area of emergency services.'
Dame said that those alternate plans would potentially include parking ambulances on higher ground in the Southern area of the county because 'standard emergency routes will be inaccessible.'
He also said that a few county residents have been displaced from their homes because of the flooding, but with help from the Kentucky Red Cross, those individuals have been relocated to safe areas.
McLean County Sheriff Ken Frizzell said that so far all of the emergency systems are functioning as normal and that they haven't had to help with significant evacuations or water rescue events.
'We've all been here before,' he said. 'So, we all know what to do. Luckily, it seems like the water is starting to go down. Hopefully, the most vulnerable areas of the county will be out of the woods soon.'
Additional information and resources regarding the flooding across the state can be obtained by calling 211 or by texting 898211.
Dame encouraged county residents to follow the McLean County, Kentucky Judge-Executive page on Facebook for flooding updates and more other resources and information available to the community.
'We're lucky that we're in a time where social media exists, so it's been easier to keep residents informed about what's happening during the State of Emergency,' Dame said.
The McLean County Senior Services department has also suspended congregate meals and meal delivery services for seniors while the county is under a State of Emergency. The organization said that services will resume when it is safe to do so and encouraged any senior needing assistance during this time to contact McLean County Senior Services at 270-273-5412.