Unbelievable 100 year flood hits Beattyville. Museum cleanup is underway.

Boat going down Main Street in Beattyville. March 1, 2021.

The flood alert for the area went from moderate flooding alert with a crest of 24 feet to a major flooding alert in 5 hours time with waters cresting at 35 feet. In Beattyville, it was a few inches larger than the flood of 1957. All of town was submerged in river waters and mud by Monday morning March 1st. All through the night rescue teams had worked tirelessly to evacuate residents in danger of the riding floodwaters. There was not enough warning for businesses to get their valuables out such as their computers and account books. The water receded by Wednesday and everyone gasps at the damages. Once the images and stories of the flooding hit the news and social media, groups and individuals starting donating their time, supplies, and most of all prayers for everyone effected. 

The Three Forks Museum did not escape harm. The waters rose to about 2 to 2.5 feet high inside the building. The log benches from the front porch were recovered from over 100 yards away. The museum board members waited until water receded on the Wednesday afternoon to go inside and assess the damages. The first priority was to empty the closets and pick up everything off the ground. Then we worked at emptying the bottom shelves of the display cases and setting everything out in the sun to dry. Next is was bringing in 2x4s to lift and place the display cases off the floor for air to circulate underneath. We also bought four dehumidifiers to place around the building and in the bathrooms were drywall is present. Thanks you to WSKV 104.5fm and Grace Baptist Church for donating totes and fans. Also for delivering the dehumidifiers we purchased from Lowes in Winchester. Also thank you to Tony Pence and the fraternity from Morehead State University who came down to help. 

Commonwealth Systems were in the area doing free HVAC assessment and we were able to have Nick come over to look at our system. The key to drying everything out would be warm dry air so we needed our units working. Nick came back another day and dismantled and cleaned both outdoor units and installed a new fan motor into one. More repairs are needed to the HVAC as the heating elements are shot. We are in need of new flame sensors, thermocouples, and igniters. 

On the floor we placed the Floor Sweep compound. John David was concerned about adding more water in there and he though this compound would keep the dust down and we could scrub it around to pick up the dirt before mopping. It has worked wonderfully so far. We also put a call out for Murphy's Oil Wood Soap, as the majority of the museum walls are wood. There were also pianos, and other furniture that will need a good cleaning. 

With everything we can get into totes, the next step is to clean out the garage area so we can use it for storage until we can get the main museum cleaned and straightened back up. Thank you to all the volunteers who have came to help so far. John David Sipple, Kenneth Issacs, Suzy Booth, Kim Oliver, Anita Brandenburg, Kendra Savage and her son Maddox, Kristy Dunaway and her daughter Lacy, Sheerree Nations,  Emma and Larry Adams, Trina Gipson, Shirley Reece, Ila Cox Nickel, Amy Parrott, and more. Also thank you to everyone who has brought supplies. Bob & Linda Smith, Evelyn Jenkins, Allison and Luke Catron of Georgetown, Shanna Charles, Jim Cable, Ernie Childers, Linda Botner, Yvonne Stamper, Marcella Fox, Masters of Disaster, and more. Sorry if I didn't get everyone's names. 

Below is a slideshow of photos. Donations Appreciated. We are trying to apply for any funding we can find for non-profits. There is a lot more work to be done and volunteers are welcome and appreciated. If you would like to help call Dedra at 606-560-9059. Donations can be mailed into P.O. Box 1033, Beattyville, KY 41311 or use the PayPal link on this website to make a donation online. 

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