In the quiet hollows of eastern Kentucky, the scars of the 2022 catastrophic floods remain etched in the landscape and in memory. Along the winding Troublesome Creek, abandoned homes and barren lots serve as a somber reminder of the disaster that killed 45 people and displaced thousands — one of the worst flooding events in the region’s history.

Among the hardest hit was the small community of Fisty, where eight homes, two businesses, and nine lives — including a woman who used a wheelchair, her husband, and their two children — were swept away by surging waters. Many residents ignored or missed emergency cell alerts, either out of mistrust or warning fatigue. By the time the danger was fully realized, it was too late. Landslides soon followed, trapping both the living and the dead for days.

A Science-Based Response to Disaster

In the wake of this devastation, a team of geologists from the University of Kentucky secured an emergency grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). They raced against time to collect critical, perishable data that might offer insights into how and why the flooding was so severe. Their ultimate goal: to build better forecasting and early warning systems for the region’s vulnerable communities.

As southern Appalachia faces increasingly frequent and intense storms due to climate change, the scientific mission has become urgent. The terrain — steep, forested, and under-monitored — is highly susceptible to flash flooding and landslides, exacerbated by warming temperatures and extreme rainfall, often linked to warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico that fuel storm intensity.

Life After the Flood

For survivors like Harold Baker, the trauma is daily. Sitting outside his new prefabricated home near the same creek that nearly destroyed his family, he recalls the helplessness and heartbreak of 2022. “I feel depressed. Everyone else is gone now,” he says. “It feels very lonely when the storms come in.”

The family rebuilt their car repair workshop with aid from FEMA, but business has slowed. The roads are quieter, many neighbors have left, and the creek that took so much is still a looming threat. Harold and his brother now patrol the river each time it rains, a self-appointed watch in a place still without a flood gauge.

Their vigilance paid off in February 2025 when another “once-in-a-generation” storm hit. Though no lives were lost, the emotional toll was severe. Harold’s new home bears a mark — 23 inches above the ground — showing just how close disaster came again.

A Region Under Siege

Troublesome Creek is just one of many narrow tributaries that weave through southern Appalachia, where more frequent deluges are turning quiet streams into deadly torrents. Yet, remarkably, many of these waterways lack basic monitoring equipment like stream gauges, making forecasting and response efforts extremely difficult.

The pattern is worsening. Following the 2022 floods, Hurricane Helene in 2024 delivered days of torrential rain, killing over 230 people — nearly half of them in Appalachia. Then in early 2025, two additional storm events claimed another 47 lives across the region. Climate scientists have since confirmed these storms were significantly intensified by a warming planet.

Urgent Need for Infrastructure and Trust

The challenge facing Appalachia is twofold: the physical vulnerabilities of its landscape and the social mistrust that hampers timely evacuations and preparedness. For many residents, especially in rural and isolated areas, warnings are either not trusted or not heeded until it’s too late.

Geologists, climate scientists, and community organizers are working to close this gap — with improved modeling, public education, and locally tailored alert systems. However, persistent underfunding, political resistance, and geographic challenges continue to slow progress.

A Warning for the Nation

What’s happening in Appalachia is not an isolated crisis. It’s a preview of what other mountainous and riverine regions across the U.S. could face as climate change reshapes our natural disaster landscape. As storms become stronger and more erratic, communities like Fisty become frontline witnesses to the devastating power of water — and to the consequences of delay.

Unless bold action is taken to improve infrastructure, monitor flood risks, and build community trust, the warnings from Troublesome Creek may echo louder with each storm.

Sources:

• The Guardian – “Flooding could end southern Appalachia”
• National Science Foundation
• FEMA disaster response archives
• University of Kentucky Geological Survey