A Light in The Storm

"It got into the yard, but it never- never did it flood like it did that year"

Natasha Allen

In the steep rolling hills of eastern Kentucky, tragedy struck as residents of multiple counties in the area woke up one morning to find their communities washed away from a devastating flood. In late July of 2022, families found their homes being tarnished and destroyed by the rising waters. One such family, the Allens, found themselves losing it all in the flood, before the greater Breathitt county community expressed a deep love to help them get back on their feet.

On July 27th, 2022, Natasha Allen was coming home from work like any other day. At the time, she was a teacher at Marie Roberts Elementary and in the early stages of pregnancy with her fourth child. Upon pulling into the old garage attached to their home, she was greeted by her husband, Casey Allen, and their three young kids, all of which were excited to see her home.

Their residency at the time, was a small, old brick home built in the 70’s. It was Casey’s childhood home and a temporary stay for the Allens until they could afford something bigger for their growing family. Nestled within a small valley next to tall wooded hills, the property, while susceptible to flooding, had never reached their home before.

“It [the house] had never been flooded, not even the year prior,” Said Natasha. “It got into the yard, but it never- never did it flood like it did that year.”

A photo captured by Natasha Allen, showcasing the flood the year prior to 2022

A photo captured by Natasha Allen, showcasing the flood the year prior to 2022

The family was aware of intense rainfall on its way, but the experience they had the year prior, and the assurance that the house wasn't built in an area that could be flooded, left them believing it wouldn't affect the home itself.

"We knew that there was a possibility of flash flooding, but, you know, like I said prior, we've never had any issues," said Natasha.

"The house was not in a flood zone."

"Mom, are we going to die?"

The Allen's 8-year-old son.

It was very early that morning, at 1:00 AM, when Casey awoke from his bed after the power had gone out throughout the house. Outside the water could barely be seen over the river bank, so it wasn't looking like a flood.

Three hours later, an alarming crash could be heard downstairs, waking Natasha up from her bed.

"I thought- honestly, a mudslide had come off the back of the hill and crashed into the basement," Natasha said. "That's how loud it was."

Leaving to go check on the noise, what she discovered was that water had penetrated into the home, creating a pool of knee deep muddy water within their home.

Water was continuing to rise, and they needed to act fast. Natasha quickly collected her family, necessary items like blankets, food, and water, before soon escaping from their flooded home.

Almost three hours later, the first floor of their home was completely flooded, ruining whatever was there.

“My husband had a Ford F-150, and it was completely submerged underwater within those two and a half hours.” said Natasha.

Rain was continuing to fall, and supplies were getting limited, if nothing was done, the family would soon go cold. Casey then made the courageous decision to swim back down into their now flooded home and collect clean clothes, food, and more blankets in order to keep their kids warm. What he also came back with, was the two family kayaks, and a single paddle. It was the only one he could find.

The family was shivering in the rain, without any shelter but the trees above them, they were left open to the continuously pouring rain. But in the distance, an opportunity to find warmth could be seen. Their neighbor’s house was more than 800 feet away from them, and likely wasn’t flooded.

"(She) looked at me and said, do you think you could get to the neighbor's house?" Said Casey. "And I said, well, I could try."

To make sure the trip was safe for the family, Casey decided to take the first trip alone. As he kayaked away and out of sight, Natasha began to worry for her husband’s safety.

“I mean honestly, I sat at the foot of the hill. I would watch him until he got to the other side of the church. I could see his paddle go over one good time, and after that, I didn’t see him for several minutes,” Natasha said. “I literally just sat there and I cried and I prayed from the time he got out of sight to the time that he got back.”

Seeing his mother filled with fear, Natasha's then 8 year old son looked up at her and asked.

"Mom, are we going to die?"

Natasha, knowing she needed to keep things hopeful, assured her children, and herself, that God had everything in control.

After returning safely from his trip, Casey had to make the 800 foot kayaking trip more than 10 times back and forth to get his whole family to the neighbors house, paddling almost 1.5 miles in total.

"Well, I mean, if I'm being honest, we're still recovering."

Natasha Allen

Hours later, the storm had eventually run its course, and the water levels returned to normal. But that didn't mean 'normal' was what was left behind for the Allen family.

Upon returning to their home, the family was devastated to see the destruction that had been left behind. Expensive appliances, family memories, and even much of the dry wall was damaged beyond repair.

Recovery seemed like it was going to be a long and difficult process, as everything, from the drywall to the flooring had to be removed. In just a day, the Allen family had lost everything.

While the Allen's were technically renting the space from Casey's aunt for free, it was because of that renting, that the family soon bumped into problems obtaining any sort of financial relief.

“The biggest thing was finding a means to make ends meet,” Natasha said. “FEMA didn’t want to help out.”

At most, Natasha’s family was given 1,500 dollars for the damages, and organizations such as American Red Cross, and Samaritan’s Purse, wouldn’t provide any help, simply because FEMA didn’t give the family enough initial funds. Since the home wasn't registered in the Allen name, organizations were not as inclined to offer support. This was an upsetting and scary moment for Natasha.

“How do you look at somebody and say that everything that they have worked for and everything that, you know, they have built and put their money into, even though they don’t own the home, there’s still contents within that home for their small children, and for themselves (...),” Natasha said. “How do you put a price tag on that and say, nope, sorry, this is all, you know?”

With no financial support, and facing homelessness since the house had to be stripped of its walls, the Allen family was forced to jump from home to home as they tried to get back up on their feet.

However, they were not alone. As their community soon became aware of the family's troubles since they had become an icon in the county thanks to Casey's coaching for the local high school football team. People came forward to their doorstep offering bags of clothes, food even money to help support their children.

"Our whole thing throughout all of it, you know, we were blessed," Natasha said. "We lost a lot of things, but at the end of the day, I can still hear my kids laugh, cry, and get on my nerves."

With the help of their community, and given enough time, the Allen family was able to afford themselves a new home for their growing family.

Today, Natasha can be seen teaching at Breathitt elementary, Casey is still continuing to coach at Breathitt High, and the two of them are supporting and loving their four children.

_{Special thanks to Natasha Allen for providing all the photos seen in this story}