Emergency responders help out in Breathitt County in response to flood damage

Video note: Despite this article’s time stamp, the above video is the latest forecast from The Weather Authority.

JACKSON, Ky. (FOX 56) —Many Eastern Kentucky counties are surrounded by rising water, and Breathitt County is no exception.

Certain spots in Jackson look like lakes, including the football field near the town square. It’s a job for more than local responders, with Wolfe County Search & Rescue crossing county lines to lend a helping hand. Public Information Officer Drew Stevens said he and his crew were ready at a moment’s notice.

“The Wolfe County Search & Rescue team trains to do search and rescue in swift water environments. We have several swift water rescue technicians on our team. This is what we train for, and this is what we do,” Stevens said. “The floods were expected this year, so we stayed ready. We stayed on standby last night into the night, and their operations really commenced this morning as the Kentucky River began to crest.”

Also not far from the town square, Pan Bowl Lake is also much higher than usual, with nearby signs now standing fully in the water. With the rain turning into snow on Sunday, responders now have even more to factor in. Volunteers with a team called DJV Enterprises came to help in response efforts. This team specializes in things like water rescues as well. Jason Vaughn is one of the volunteers.

“We were in Hazard, came out, and pulled five people out of a home that was under. With stuff like this, conditions are always changing,” Vaughn said.

This isn’t the first time responders have worked to serve their communities in the event of major flooding, with the experience of the summer of 2022 being something responders use to serve to this day.

“I think with every incident, you always learn. It allowed us to gear up. We also seemed to have a little more of a warning with this storm system and time to prepare for the floods that occurred. In 2022, that incident was unprecedented and unforeseen in severity, and so it definitely helped us prepare for what we do today,” Steven said.

Wolfe County Search & Rescue is an all-volunteer rescue team, and donations will ensure they can keep up this life-saving work. To help, visit the WCSART website.