In late July, a series of thunderstorms led to deadly river flooding across eastern Kentucky / Photo by Kentucky National Guard
Flood Warning Unexpected weather disasters this summer in Eastern Kentucky drive home the importance of emergency planning and practice
By Matt Hanley ENA CONNECTION CONTRIBUTOR
16 | November 2022
I
n the hollers of Eastern Kentucky, rain is part of the landscape. Hollers are the valleys between all the hills, and the only flat land is at river bottoms — so these areas have flooded for centuries.
“We prepare for floods, but I don’t think anybody really expected this valley to get this much rain,” said Dale Morton, MSN, RN, EMT, executive director of emergency, & transfer services for Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville, Kentucky. “There wasn’t anything that threw a red flag about this storm.” On the night of July 27, two thunderstorms collided and unloaded. Two feet of rain fell over four days, causing extraordinary problems. Homes were wiped away. Thirty-nine people were killed.
Dale Morton, MSN, RN, EMT
The floods challenged the region’s emergency departments in unprecedented ways. Despite the challenges, many found their preparedness held up. “Eastern Kentucky is resilient, stubborn. We’re all family, all neighbors,” said Andrew Maxwell, BSN, RN, emergency department director for Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center in Hazard, Kentucky. “I could not believe how the nursing community pulled together. I can’t talk about it without getting goose bumps.”