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Home : News : State Partnership Program
NEWS | May 7, 2010

Kentucky Guard battles floods after weekend rains

By Sgt. Bryan Ploughe Kentucky National Guard

CANMER, Ky., - More than 80 members of the Kentucky National Guard's 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery were deployed to help with flood relief efforts here at a water treatment plant May 3.

The water treatment plant is under the control of the Green River Valley water district. The treatment facility provides water for 27,000 citizens in four counties.

Helping with the relief efforts were more than 50 Kentucky Guardsmen, 24 inmates from the Hart County jail as well as representatives from five volunteer fire departments.

David Page, district general manager for the Green River Valley water district, John Rutledge, plant superintendent, and Kerry McDaniels, local state emergency management representative, worked with the Corps of Engineers and volunteers to coordinate getting sand, dump trucks, backhoes and other assets together to accomplish the mission to save the treated water for the citizens of the four counties possibly effected.

The state continues to assess the damage caused from last weekend's storms around the Commonwealth. It will be unclear of the total damage for several more days, but the Kentucky National Guard continues to provide support and stands ready to deploy to any area needing assistance.

Guard officials said flood support missions in Kentucky will include traffic control points, damage assessment teams, sandbag operations and roving security patrols.