Lawmakers pass flood-relief legislation for eastern Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky lawmakers on Friday passed a nearly $213 million aid package for flood-ravaged Appalachia, wrapping up a special session responding to the mammoth challenge of recovery — underscored by chilling accounts of devastation and tragedy. “Since the very beginning, this has been one of the greatest examples I’ve seen of nonpartisanship — of just simply caring for your fellow human being and living out our shared faith and values,” the governor said at the bill-signing ceremony, capping the three-day session. “We’ve got to come back and we’ve got to see what the needs are.” The legislative action comes about a month after historic flooding destroyed homes and businesses and caused significant damage to schools, roads, bridges and water systems. He described scenes of “people standing beside the road and just looking at what used to be their homes — that were gone.” In Floyd County, the fiscal court has spent more than $1.5 million on emergency repairs to roads, culverts and other infrastructure since the flooding and those costs are expected to mount, said Democratic Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty. Republican Sen. Brandon Smith, also from eastern Kentucky, tried unsuccessfully to have an extra $50 million allocated for housing assistance, with the money coming from the budget reserve fund.