Combs, Kentucky — Robin Combs has been teaching math for over 30 years. Muscle’s memory guides her to her plan of appropriate lessons, confident in what works and how best to reach middle school. But when floodwaters swept through Robinson Elementary School last month, the roof of her classroom collapsed, destroying 30 years of her curriculum materials.
Now, like dozens of her colleagues, Ms. Combs found herself starting over. On a recent Friday, she was one of a handful of teachers working together to donate supplies and clean up a former elementary school serving teachers and students at her two flood-destroyed schools. was. Her family had running water for just one day in her little over three weeks, but she was focused on getting her schools back up and running by early September.
“I want my kids to get back together and be normal eight hours a day. .”
The school year was supposed to mark the long-awaited return to normality after two years when the coronavirus pandemic cut classes and forced students and teachers online for some time. But just as parents finished polishing tile floors and teachers began laying out new equipment, floodwaters swept across eastern Kentucky, washing away Chromebooks and turning decades of class photos into mud. and covered in mold.at least 39 people Died in the flood, including several children and a beloved school janitor.
Perry County, where Combs works, is one of the hardest-hit areas. Nearly a month later, roadsides in eastern Kentucky are littered with piles of destroyed property, tree branches, and damaged house siding. Residents are tearing down destroyed buildings, hauling away debris and scrubbing the musty stench of the floodwaters from their homes. Some parts of the region still have to boil water or do not have stable electricity and internet. Officials and volunteers are scrambling to reach out to some residents who are missing in the narrow mountain valley.
At the State Capitol in Frankfort last week, Gov. Andy Beshear and state legislators announced plans to direct $212.7 million to the region over the next six months. This includes his $40 million dedicated to restoring college buildings, transporting displaced students, and helping their families.
The recovery is especially important for the local schools that have supported these mountain communities, as the decline of the coal industry has hampered economic growth. The school district is one of the largest employers in the area, despite a decline in student numbers in recent years. In Perry County, where 83% of the approximately 4,000 students are eligible for free or discounted lunches, and more than 470 students are considered homeless, school staff have They often provide meals, dental and health checks, and clothing.
As a result, the community rallied around the school. Teachers responded to calls and offers of help from former students and their children. Current students delivered food and helped remove mud and damaged furniture. Survivors have called for help and advice.
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Twenty-five school districts were affected by the floods, with more than ten buildings severely damaged and unable to hold classes this year. Replacing Robinson Elementary School, where Combs teaches, alone could cost nearly $25 million.
Some of the affected school districts have plans to start classes in late September or later in the fall. Meanwhile, improvisation is everywhere. Her third-grade teacher in Perry County, her Chasity Short, will work in the refurbished girls’ locker room this year.
“As long as all of us are kept together, we don’t care”.
Teachers have appealed to administrators and state officials to avoid splitting schools, but this is not always possible.
“You have to look at the kids and adults and say, ‘Where’s the safest place to leave and educate your kids,'” said Perry County superintendent Jonathan Jett.
Jett was able to relocate Robinson Elementary School and another flooded K-12 school, Buckhorn, into the elementary school building that was vacant when the schools were consolidated, but other superintendents , was still looking for where to house the evacuated students. It will take years to repair and replace damaged buildings, and staff don’t know how to rebuild some bus routes when some roads remain impassable and the district stretches over 40 miles. .
Teachers and others at the school acknowledged looming concerns about their ability to respond to the growing needs and psychological trauma of students whose homes were destroyed. They are concerned that the already small school will lose even more students and teachers, and do not know what will happen if outside support dries up.
Jamie Fugate, the principal of Robinson Elementary School, stood in the empty room that would become his office at the renovated school and said, “We can make do with this, but not in the long run.” is scheduled to begin on September 6, after Labor Day.
While many teachers’ homes were flooded, others held outdoor gatherings to boost morale and get a glimpse of their students. One elementary school held a drive-thru event where teachers distributed bags containing toothbrushes, toothpaste, chips and toys.
The students themselves want to go back.
When 11-year-old Charlie Boggs entered fifth grade at Martha Jane Potter Elementary School outside Whitesburg, he “wanted it to be like the movies.” He imagined the taste of fame he would get by playing for the Pirates football team and wearing their signature gold helmet. remained unknown.
“It’s special in a bad way,” he said, noting that the flood came after years of pandemic learning pain. added.
Charlie’s mother, Tara Boggs, is a sixth grade English teacher at Fleming Neon Middle School in Neon, Kentucky. The rest of the school is out of power because the school basement has flooded, and Ms. Boggs and other volunteers are working overtime. For weeks we sort supplies for delivery in the dark.
“I hate it. Some of these kids will never be the same again,” Ms. Boggs said. It runs much deeper.
At nearby Letcher County Central High School, school officials debated whether to play its first Friday night home football game of the season, scheduled for August 19. Soccer camps were canceled, there was little time to practice on the pads, and cheerleading uniforms were destroyed in a warehouse.
However, after consulting with the players, the authorities agreed to move forward, hoping to give the community some distraction.
“It’s ridiculous, but I thought we needed Friday night football,” said Junior Matthews, the team’s coach.
Nine players and two coaches had their homes flooded, but some joined mobs of residents to help with relief efforts. In the days leading up to the game, they juggled practice in addition to hours of volunteer work.
Among them is Quentin Williams, a 16-year-old sophomore named Q, who threw himself into recovery, carrying boxes in people’s cars and working long hours in the school’s distribution center. doing.
“Just sitting at home made me feel sick. It feels good to help people who can’t help themselves,” he said on a recent afternoon when he cooked Mexican food for his family’s after-church lunch. I sat down in a restaurant and said,
The teen knew that the storm would rattle his six-year-old cousin at the children’s next door service.
Q’s mother, Christy Williams, who now lives with relatives, spent the days leading up to the game tracking down copies of important documents damaged in the flood and mourning the home she had so hard paid for and where she raised her children. I was there.
But come Friday, she was among her mothers tailing outside, with Dollar Store decorations purchased to match the tropical theme chosen by her student fans. She cried at the top of the bleachers as she ran through, kneeling and praying to the bystanders..
Williams said Q was a relief and the rest of his team got a chance to play.
“Just to see him not in the mud or carrying water,” she said. “He gets to do what he loves.”
People in the stands were visibly anxious and fidgety in their seats when thunder and rain caused delays.
However, when the weather improved and the game resumed, the Letcher County Central Cougars started scoring. They overcame his double-digit deficit against the Shelby Valley Wildcats. Finally, after returning an interception for a touchdown, they sealed a 52-48 victory and the crowd roared.
“I don’t know if the script could have been better,” Matthews said.