2022 Flood Memorial Dedicated

As dark clouds rolled across the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance, more than 100 people gathered in the Main Street Park to unveil a memorial to those killed in the July 2022 flooding.

The brief ten-minute ceremony preceded the official unveiling of the monument.

Pastor Anthony Mullins of the County Line Community church opened the ceremony with a prayer for the families impacted by the floods and the continuing recovery efforts.

Mayor Laura Thomas emceed the event and spoke briefly.  She told those gathered that the ceremony should be a time “to comfort each other and to remember those lost in the flooding.”

Thomas thanked those who worked to complete and install the monument.

“Every time you drive into town or drive by this memorial, hopefully that will keep them in your heart,” Thomas said.

Members of the Henson family stepped forward and gently removed the black cloth that hung limp over the monument to reveal the names of the eleven Breathitt County residents killed in the record-breaking event in July 2022.

Etched on the face of the black granite stone were the names: Thomas Lee Back, Vanessa Baker, Tony Calhoun, Helen Campbell, Gary Wayne Combs, Nancy Cundiff, Ruby Cundiff, Amy Henson, Jeanette Johnson, Gilla Ann Miller, and Christine Roberts.

Mayor Thomas highlighted and thanked several organizations and individuals who were essential to the completion of the project.  She thanked Earl Chapman and Trinity Monuments for the stone and its installation.  

She said the effort was the work of the Jackson Woman’s Club, the Breathitt County Long Term Recovery Team, and the Transylvania Presbytery.  

She thanked Dr. Jennifer Lindon and Hazard Community and Technical College for the right to place the monument on their property and Bess Douthitt for the use of water and electricity to install the memorial.

Phil Swartzentruber closed the brief ten-minute ceremony by reminding the crowd that the community “stepped up with love and to help people” after the flooding.  He praised the unity the community experienced and the opportunity to come together in remembrance.

After the ceremony, family members and friends visited the monument, and some took photos.  Most just looked at the names as memories flooded back.  Several who attended the event reached out and simply touched the names of their loved ones.

The monument is in the Main Street Park across from the library on the Lee College Campus and is accessible to the public.