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Heavy rains throughout the end of last week have brought floodwaters to most of Kentucky, including Jessamine County. 

“This one took us all by surprise and punched us in the mouth. We weren’t sure because of the way these storms were moving… these things just camped out over certain areas. Western Kentucky got it harder than we did; we were probably second. Eastern Kentucky did not get it as bad, but all of us received water,” said Johnny Adams, Jessamine County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director. 

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Jessamine County until noon Monday, April 7. The National Weather Prediction Service reported a high of 47 feet measured at High Bridge and Camp Nelson. 

According to Adams, as of Monday, the flooding in the county appears to be cresting, also known as reaching its peak level. Adams said that on Sunday night, the Camp Nelson water gauge was under water for several hours, so the river could have been higher than 47 feet in this area. The EMA is currently reviewing its levels with the United States Geological Society, which has been to High Bridge every day to survey the flood levels. 

National Weather Service forecasts show that Jessamine County’s portion of the Kentucky River may be back to normal levels starting Thursday, but Adams reminds citizens that these levels are strictly a forecast. “We’re hopeful that those are accurate to a level where we can say by the end of the week people will be back in and doing cleanup, but right now, it’s just an estimate,” he said. “Our teams are prepping for that for later this week and hope that they can get back in. In all of our communities, the water level has to get way back into the minor or action stage before we can get vehicles in to do road cleanup so we can get other vehicles in to do damage assessment. Then we can get residents back into those communities.” As of Tuesday, April 8, Flood levels at both High Bridge and Camp Nelson have dropped from major to moderate flooding, with a steady decline of floodwaters forecasted by the National Weather Service. 

In response to the flooding, on Monday, Judge Executive David West and Adams signed a Disaster Declaration, “enabling the mobilization of additional resources to support recovery efforts,” stated the Jessamine County, Kentucky Facebook post. 

The post stated that assessment of damage will take weeks, and that can’t start until waters recede to make areas in need accessible. 

The Jessamine County Fiscal Court, City of Nicholasville, and the City of Wilmore are collecting cleaning supplies only to give to residents cleaning up their properties. The supplies being collected are; wet/dry vacuums, shovels and buckets, trash bags (heavy duty), protective gear, dehumidifiers, moisture meter, HEPA vacuums, disinfectant, bleach, liquid detergent, soap, pumps of extractors, towels, and fans. 

“Jessamine County EMA will coordinate efforts with state and local agencies, and we will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available,” read the Facebook post. The County-Wide cleanup will not be extended. 

The Jessamine County Health Department (JCHD) told Lex18 that if you are cleaning by yourself, you should make sure to wear protective gear like rubber boots, gloves, as well as N95 masks while working with mold and possibly disease from floodwater. Also, the JCHD recommend anyone helping with flood cleanup receive an updated tetanus shot. 

When the rain started to bring floodwaters this weekend, the EMA called for a voluntary evacuation in the river communities in the county: High Bridge, Camp Nelson, and Brooklyn. Valley View had lower water levels and did not get to an emergency level like the other three river communities. Once the EMA had a few rescue situations, and water levels started to forecast the river rising in feet instead of inches, voluntary evacuation became mandatory. In these high-risk communities, power had to be disrupted and shut down. Kathy Milans from High Bridge told the Jessamine Journal on Sunday that she and her neighbors had been evacuated but that her neighbors, the Thompsons, had lost everything. “This is unreal,” she said. 

“With the drastic temperature change we were experiencing, we were worried folks were gonna either use generators which can produce carbon monoxide, and we would have emergencies from that,” Adams said. Hazmat emergencies did arise. Adams called it a disaster within a disaster. 

“While we were on the water yesterday doing evacuations, a propane tank was breached, and the gas was entering homes on High Bridge. So we had flooding rescues and then a hazmat situation as well, which is something we experience with every flood.”

Residents in Nicholasville, Wilmore, and Jessamine County received assistance from their respective municipalities’ emergency services for electrical utility evaluation due to the initial rainfall. Adams said the quick backup of water and storm surge caused yard and basement flooding for these residents, particularly those with who had landscaping work. “Other folks who rely on sub pumps already know their basement is flooded and were overwhelmed with the amount of water that came in,” Adams said. No rescues were done for these residents. However, some were evacuated due to sub pumps and generators that exposed homes with improper ventilation to carbon monoxide. “It’s been a very active several days of responses all related to the flooding but maybe not directly related to river water,” Adams said.  

On Sunday morning, Nicholasville and Wilmore closed their water treatment plant intake to protect electrical equipment. 

Jessamine County also gets its water from Nicholasville, Wilmore, and Kentucky American Water. Due to this water intake shutdown, residents throughout the county were asked to conserve the water that was available by putting off showering, doing laundry, and any other water-based activities. “We did prepare for that, and we did request bottled water through a state resource request. I know Mercer County had to do the same; several communities around us with high water levels had to go into reservoir or tank mode to supply residents. That’s why the rationing was requested,” Adams said.

But, in a meeting on Sunday night, things at the water treatment plant stabilized, and facilities were able to get some of the pumps up and running. “Nicholasville and Wilmore are not treating as much water but they have been able to continually run operations since [late Sunday],” Adams said. He added that they should be fully operational again on Tuesday, April 8, but that evaluation teams will need to visit the facilities to check for damage. 

Adams said that a few individuals had been taken into custody throughout the weekend for swimming in the flood waters. He said that the Kentucky River at its current level is deadly and dangerous. With the freeze warning forecasted for Tuesday night, hyperthermia and hypothermia can be a factor for anyone who gets into floodwaters. “Not to mention other airborne illnesses from being around mold, mildew, all that stuff.” Adams said evacuating folks from river communities has already mitigated some of the risks of the freeze warning and flooding and reminded residents, “Don’t get in [the water] with the cooler temperatures. Hypothermia and exposure to the elements could cause significant injury and illness. We’re already combatting enough illness with the seasonal stuff right now. So use caution, stay outta there, stay at home, and stay warm. We’ll all be outdoors doing some recreational activities and back on the river enjoying that recreational luxury that we have around here. However, while the river is at the elevation height that it is, it’s deadly. Stay away from it.” 

To individuals trying to see floodwaters, which Adams said has already impeded the EMAs ability to get emergency vehicles around these individuals, he said to visit Facebook, where so many people have already posted their own photos. “There are certain areas people can go and view from a safe area, but please yield to emergency services if you see them in the area. It’s something we can and will enforce,” Adams said.