Johnson County native looks back on disaster

By Ella Wilkie and Blair Johnson

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A flash flood warning turned into a state of emergency for the citizens of Johnson County on the week of July 13, 2015.

The rain started Monday night when four inches fell in one hour. Rescue efforts began after homes and belongings were swept away.

“The night of the flash flood, I had command for water rescue operations,” said Brian Jeffiers, the UK County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Johnson County. “Boats were launched to retrieve approximately 15 people who had been swept away by flood waters.”

In addition to his role as the Extension Agent, Jeffiers also served two volunteer roles — as Deputy Chief of W.R. Castle Fire & Rescue and County Search & Rescue Coordinator with Paintsville-Johnson County Emergency Management. He was right in the middle of the disaster.

“We had an area approximately eight miles long that we essentially scoured from Tuesday through Friday night,” Jeffiers said.

Jeffiers encountered his first flood 11 years ago.

“That one didn’t get people,” Jeffiers said. “Everything about (this flood) was bigger than anything we had dealt with. The speed was like nothing we’ve ever seen.”

Jeffiers oversaw  about 100 people per day, along with eight search-and-rescue dogs. His rescue efforts and coordination saved 15 people who had been swept away by the flood waters, and recovered three bodies from Tuesday to Friday.

“I coordinated the work of lots of heroes,” Jeffiers said.

Firefighters from Greenup, Boyd, Lawrence, Morgan, Floyde, Pike and Johnson Counties collaborated in the rescues. They were joined by dogs and handlers from West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee throughout the week.

“My role as incident commander was to plan each day’s search strategies and communicate with teams through the day, then debrief each evening and formulate the next day’s plan,” Jeffiers said.

A resident of Johnson County, Jeffiers found navigation throughout the flooded area difficult. He said the conditions were not ideal for the rescue teams in charge of taking people who needed medical attention to hospitals.

“I knew the name of the side road I was on, but I was like ‘Where am I?’ — the water was so high and coming from everywhere, I couldn’t recognize where I was,” Jeffiers said.

In 2012, Johnson County set up a long-term recovery committee after enduring a brutal tornado. The state of Kentucky also filed for a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster declaration in August 2015 to assist victims in Johnson and surrounding counties.

In addition to help  from the government, Johnson County received aid within hours after the devastation from groups like Samaritan’s Purse, a non-profit organization whose mission is to give aid to those in need all over the world.

“I’m not saying they came with mops and buckets,” Jeffiers said. “These people had hand tools, chainsaws and a two-story truck that looked like it was used for NASCAR filled with supplies.”

Jeffiers said social media has helped the volunteers in Johnson County to get the resources they need. It has also attracted more attention to the area, drawing help from all over the U.S.

“I still lose track of all the places people came in from,” Jeffiers said.

Johnson County is still recovering from the disaster. There are many ways to help out, including the donation of money or supplies.