MCLEAN COUNTY, Ky. — McLean County is facing some of the worst flooding in the Commonwealth. McLean County is part of the Owensboro metropolitan area.
With several major roads underwater, some communities are completely isolated, with people stuck in their homes.
Spectrum News 1 followed along as the Kentucky National Guard checked on some of them.
Riding around in the 1123rd Sapper Company rescue boat, some sights were surreal. What was the little town of Rumsey looked more like a lake.
“There’s a couple people. They even have water in their house already. But they don’t want to leave for one reason or another, which I completely understand. So we are just trying to help them as much as we can,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Clements.
He and his crew have helped people in McLean County for several days.
“Door to door, seeing if people need food and water, helping people that may be stuck from the rising water levels that are still going on. Seeing if we can get them to get to a shelter or somewhere safer,” Clements said. “We’ve probably taken out six, seven people, helping them get to shelters.”
Jennifer Mauzy went out with some soldiers to get her friends out of what was left of her house.
“Water got in the house. It was about, I don’t know, half a foot in there,” she said.
She had had little time to process.
“Our home looks like that right there. That’s torn down. It looks like that. It looks terrible. Our home is… We’re gonna lose everything,” Mauzy said. “If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. If you stop and think about it, it’s really devastating, but we’re just giving it one day at a time, keeping our heads up.”
The flood is expected to peak this weekend, but with more houses to check, the 1123rd unit still has a lot of work to do.
“This one is really bad,” Clements said. “Still rising. It’s even risen probably another six inches since we left yesterday.”
Clements has been on five state active duty missions.
“This one’s definitely up there,” he said. “It just covers such a larger area, and just the water damage alone, there’s a lot of damage.”
People in their position have to be prepared, even for a once-in-a-generation event.
“Trying to think outside the box, and making these quick decisions, and being able to adjust for any situation,” Clements said. “These are our neighbors, our friends, and our families. We even got some guys here now that live locally. So it is very rewarding to be able to actually get out, and help people and make sure everyone’s being safe.”
Mauzy said she’s grateful they were there to help, but doesn’t want to see them again anytime soon.
“I cannot believe all this. But it’ll probably never happen again in my lifetime,” she said.
As for her neighbors, she had some advice.
“Get out, because the current is gonna get you. You think you can make it, but you can’t. The current is just way too strong,” she said.
Calhoun Baptist Church is serving as a shelter for people in McLean County. The National Guard is providing Meals Ready-to Eat as well as bottled water.