Last week, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced that two more people have died from flood-related complications, bringing the official death toll up to 43. One person is still missing.

Due to the widespread flood damage, it will be difficult to determine the final death count.

Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) serves kids in the United States and around the world with Gospel resources and Bible clubs. Kari Ash, state director for Child Evangelism Fellowship of Kentucky, says they visited eastern Kentucky shortly after the disaster.

(Image courtesy of CEF)

“Our first trip to eastern Kentucky was pretty shocking,” Ash says. “We saw vehicles in creeks, houses ripped apart, [and] mountains of debris for miles and miles and miles. We met with people that were rescued from their roofs by helicopters.”

Homes and communities can be rebuilt, but Kentucky families are still feeling the flood’s impact.

“We heard reports of children being afraid every time it rains there. Their schools were just getting back into session after the COVID pandemic [and] expecting a normal school year when the floods hit and disrupted that. A lot of the school buildings had major damage. Houses and a post office we saw [were] all mudded out. The mud was just incredible all over.

“We prayed with a woman that lost her husband in the storm, lost her house, her car, everything that she owned, even her documents, and didn’t feel like she had an identity anymore. She didn’t know how to rebuild and how to start.”

CEF’s booklet, Do You Wonder Why, is an invaluable resource for children and their families as they wrestle with trauma in light of Scripture and God’s truth.

Do You Wonder Why, booklet by CEF. (Photo courtesy of Child Evangelism Fellowship)

Ash says, “We’ve partnered with churches, camps, mission agencies, shelters, disaster relief teams, and even some secular agencies and medical facilities to place the Do You Wonder Why booklets in areas where they can get into the hands of children [and] adults that are questioning as well.”

There is much more work to do, and CEF is rolling up their sleeves to serve as the hands of Jesus.

Ash says they could really use your help! “There is great need for skilled laborers to help in rebuilding, to help people get back into their homes or other safe housing.

“For Child Evangelism Fellowship, we have a need to have a local missionary on the scenes in eastern Kentucky. So we are praying and asking the God of the harvest to send a laborer to serve along with us in this flood-ravaged area of eastern Kentucky.”

If you would like to financially support CEF, click here to give!

Finally, Ash asks, “Pray with us that God will use truths from His Word and from the Do You Wonder Why booklet to help searching individuals find our Savior. Pray for those that are traumatized as they rebuild their homes and their lives and start from the inside out. Many are searching for answers, and we have them through Jesus Christ. So it’s our desire to come alongside the local Church and ministry partners to share God’s Word with them.

“As we pray for them, please also remember the weary individuals that are serving on the front lines, many of whom had great loss themselves, but have given everything to try to help those in need in their area.”

Learn more about CEF’s ministry here.

Header photo of flooding in eastern Kentucky, July 2022. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Sgt. Jesse Elbouab, courtesy of Flickr: https://tinyurl.com/bdensy5j)

Between 30 to 40 bridges washed out in Pike County alone. In Letcher County, mud destroyed the city hall and damaged the town bank, pharmacy, and post office. Some schools suffered enough damage they may not reopen at the normal time.

Now, scorching heat settles into the region. Officials have opened eight cooling centers to shelter people.

Churches helping

We spoke to radio affiliate WHTL 90.5 FM, part of the King of Kings Radio Network in Somerset, KY.

General Manager David Carr says, “The flooding is devastating. That’s an easy word for it. And folks are homeless. Many efforts right now are being made by not only outside organizations, but churches are coming together, uniting together, sending things over as well as offering their help.”

WTHL is gathering supplies to help with cleaning. Carr says, “There’s a gentleman that has a box truck, and we’re sort of passing that truck around and loading it up. Things like cleaning supplies are very helpful right now: buckets, brushes, even rags, towels, bleach, Clorox, anything to deal with mold.”

“We’d like to do it at least three or four times a week.”

Want to help with this work? You can visit the King of Kings Radio website. And pray the action of local churches will show the love of Jesus to those who are hurting.

The header image shows the pattern of the heaviest rainfall in Eastern Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of NWS Jackson, Kentucky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)