FRANKFORT, Ky. — In South Frankfort, along the Port of Big Eddy, several homes now sit vacant, having been condemned by the city due to early April’s severe flooding.
Nat Reynolds, who lives along Big Eddy Road, said he and his wife have been forced to stay in a camper in their driveway while their cleanup continues.
Even then, he has maintained a positive attitude knowing how much worse things could have been, having avoided his home involved in a landslide by a few hundred yards.
“Any of the government officials that have been down here, they tell us we don’t have anything to worry about with the landslide creeping toward our land," he said. "But it’s one of the things that if we didn’t do anything and just let the house sit there, it was going to rot and ruin, so our only choice is to keep on going and get ready to get back on the river."
Reynolds said he knows the reality of living near the river and tried to prepare as much as he can. But he added this was the worst storm he has experienced and feels the hardest part of getting things in order is dealing with the unknown.
“We’re trying to just take it one day at a time,” he said. “We try to have small victories. Staying positive is one of the big things."
"Between my wife and two daughters, they’re going through a lot with not being here with us because we’re all separated right now. But once we can get back together, everything will be good.”
His daughters are staying with his wife’s sister for the time being, but he said they still try to make family time count when possible.
It’s the resolve that can be found throughout Frankfort, as families try to make the best out of the hand they’ve been dealt.
