Helping Communities Rebuild: Partnerships Made a Difference in Eastern Kentucky

In July 2022, eastern Kentucky was struck by catastrophic flash floods and river flooding – destroying homes, bridges, and infrastructure, and claiming over 40 lives. This disaster hit just as communities were still reeling from river floods in February 2021. 

Both disasters devastated the region. In response to the 2021 disaster, SBP connected with the region’s community foundation, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, and two local nonprofits, the Housing Development Alliance (HDA) and the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). Unfortunately, the July 2022 flooding happened just as the final homes from SBP’s 2021 recovery efforts were nearing completion. 

Once again, SBP mobilized to support community recovery. With strong local nonprofits like the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, HDA and ASP already in place, SBP focused on providing tailored funding and training for local partners, along with capacity-strengthening initiatives to help communities affected by the disaster rebuild, recover, and return home.

Melisa Winburn, President & CEO of the Appalachia Service Project, said, “Appalachia Service Project is deeply appreciative for the continued opportunity to collaborate with SBP in expediting the restoration of homes for flood survivors in East Kentucky. Timely access to financial resources empowers organizations like ASP to enact swift and effective rebuilding initiatives, enabling residents to embark on the journey of healing and restoring stability following adversity. The significance of steadfast partnerships in streamlining fund allocation cannot be emphasized enough. Thanks to [SBP’s] prompt response, we have been able to seamlessly oversee multiple projects concurrently, alleviating the constraints imposed by cash flow limitations. As a result, a greater number of flood survivors have found themselves back in their homes, reclaiming a sense of security and normalcy.” 

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We sat down with Angela Calabro, Director of SBP’s Share Program, to learn about SBP’s recovery efforts in Eastern Kentucky, a region that has endured a series of devastating weather and climate-related disasters in recent years. Through the Share Program, SBP distributes funds and shares best practices with local nonprofit partners to bolster local recovery efforts among communities affected by disasters. In Kentucky, SBP also provided case management training support and assistance to help people submit appeals for individual assistance awards from FEMA.

SBP: How did SBP initially respond to the flash floods in eastern Kentucky in July 2022?

AC:  Because we had been connected to the community before this flood event, we were in immediate touch with our partners to check in and see how we could be additive. From there, they requested muck and gut, mold suppression, and FEMA appeal training so we worked with the broader SBP team and provided those modules within the first few weeks. 

SBP: Tell us how SBP’s Share program became involved in the longer disaster recovery efforts. 

AC: Having previously partnered with the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky (the Foundation) to provide a match grant after the February 2021 flood event, we were able to have early conversations about how we could create a similar match grant to provide funding to local nonprofits who were already out there doing work. Together with the Foundation, we were able to offer nearly $2 million of grant funds to three incredible locally-based nonprofits across seven counties. 

SBP: And what was the result of that grant? 

AC: The Foundation introduced us to a new group, Homes Inc. Between them and our existing partners, the Housing Development Alliance and the Appalachia Service Project, the goal was to rebuild 88 homes. In the end, we were able to rebuild 95—so we’re obviously thrilled about that.

SBP: In addition to the training and grant funds, how else was SBP able to support people affected by the disaster? 

AC: Within the first weeks of being invited out to eastern Kentucky by our partners, I sat with partners and listened to what their needs were and what they were hearing from the local community. From there, we offered a spectrum of SBP services to address many of the needs they were facing such as case management training, support for appealing FEMA decisions, de-coding the complicated Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery process, and unrestricted funds for home repairs. From there, SBP program leaders and the eastern Kentucky partners came together and built out a week-long event, the Regional Recovery Acceleration Week, that would tackle these concerns and set the stage for longer term partnership. 

SBP: Overall, what would you say are the key achievements of SHARE in eastern Kentucky?

AC: I’d say the 95 homes for sure, but it was so much more than that. SBP’s Advise team provided training, educating, and consulting services to inform broader long-term recovery decisions. The partnership with Advise led to the placement of our incredible Resilience and Recovery Fellow, Sara Hambrick, who provided coaching and training at the local government level and with its partners. Placing the Fellow enabled leaders in the region to have a dial-an-expert capability as they planned and worked through many difficult choices during their recovery. 

While I’m especially proud of the incredible work of our partners to complete 95 homes with the funds we provided them, beyond that, the relationships we built with the Foundation and the three partner organizations are certainly what I hold as my proudest moment. 

SBP: Why do you think SBP has been able to achieve this level of impact in eastern Kentucky? 

AC: At the core of it, I think it’s because of the trust and relationship we had built with our partners there pre-July flood event. We saw the efficient, quality work they provided to impacted individuals after the February 2021 event and how deeply connected to the community they were. That trust made mobilizing SBP resources and programs easy within weeks of the July event. I’m proud to say our work together allowed us to bring more home repairs to families in eastern Kentucky than we expected, but also how crucial and deeply impactful listening to local leadership and tailoring our resources and responses to meet their needs can be. 

I think it was also about the quality of the relationships we built. That mutual trust gave us access, which ultimately helped get the community the support they needed.