RUMSEY, Ky. — People in McLean County are putting their lives back together after historic flooding earlier this month left half the county underwater.

There’s not much left for Cecil Evans, who lived in a mobile home in Rumsey.

“A few things, stereo, stuff like that. That’s about it, though,” he said. “Destroyed my trailer, it has. But I got to keep my head up. The lord’s looking out for me, so I got me a camper I’m fixing to move in here. He blessed me with that, you know. So it ain’t the end of the world or nothing. You just gotta keep pecking at it, you know.”

Just two weeks ago, Rumsey looked more like a lake. The water has now mostly receded, leaving a mess in its wake. Across McLean County, flooding damaged hundreds of homes.

Evans said he was fortunate to make it out alive.

“I can’t swim, but I made it through. I motored it out, me and my dog did. It could be worse. There’s a lot of people worse off than we are,” he said.

He’s now staying at the Red Cross shelter at Calhoun Baptist Church, but plans to move a camper onto his property and start over.

The Red Cross told Spectrum News everyone in the area is accounted for and has a safe place to stay for now. The Green River rose to 13 feet above flood stage, marking the worst flooding since 1950. 

Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., requested a major disaster declaration that could unlock federal aid for McLean and other counties. Evans, despite everything, is optimistic.

“Everything’s gonna be ok. It will. I’m just glad to wake up every morning,” he said. “Just keep your head up and the lord will take care of us.”

A county-wide cleanup is happening on May 3 and McLean County Public Schools reopened on Wednesday, April 23, for the first time after being closed indefinitely.