Travel trailers delivered to flood victims in eastern Kentucky

PERRY COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – The widespread flooding that hit eastern Kentucky took a lot of homes. Some people have been sleeping in tents, even in their cars and vans since the late July flooding.

State and federal officials say help is arriving, and even help has poured in from places like Louisiana, who sent 300 travel trailers.

One man, Kermit Clemons, is living in a mobile home. Solar power fires up his TV and he’s got a cot in the back of his mini-van. This is all because a creek washed away his other home.

“I’ve been living in my van for about a month now, three weeks to a month,” Clemons said.

He pulls into Perry County Park at night, where little did he know a big announcement about travel trailers, for people like him, was about to take place on Tuesday.

“In eastern Kentucky we are strong. I was in a bad place for about a week. But it is part of life. I’m going to get through it,” Clemons said.

These travel trailers are not designed to be permanent homes, only a temporary housing plan for six months to maybe a year.

Clemons said he doesn’t need a big place, and knows a lot of others have it worse than him.

“It’s not the worst. I’m alive. I got my clothes out of the creek and washed them,” Clemons said.

And with the current donation of hundreds of trailers from Louisiana, he and many others may soon have better, immediate housing until more permanent homes can be built.

Governor Andy Beshear said the travel trailers will be available for about a year, but each recipient will have a case manager to help them through the process.

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