Photo by: Maddy Schmidt/WCPO
Posted 9:30 AM, May 15, 2025
FALMOUTH, Ky. — Residents in Butler and Falmouth can finally apply for federal relief more than one month after floods forced many of them to evacuate their homes.
When we first met Falmouth resident Brad Carroll, he couldn't even get into his garage, where he keeps all his inventory for flea markets he holds to make a living. He hoped federal aid could help, but the county had been left off the state's initial request for assistance.
This week, a release from the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management and FEMA stated Pendleton County is now eligible to apply for FEMA assistance. Gov. Beshear said on May 1 the county would be included in the state's third request for aid, but many like Carroll held their breath until the request was officially accepted.
Now with FEMA assistance approval, Carroll is grateful but isn’t getting ahead of himself yet.
“Is it a Red Cross deal, you know? Are we gonna go through all this, and they say, 'Here, shut up.' Cause that’s how I feel,” said Carroll.
Watch a story detailing how Brad Carroll was impacted by the April flooding:
Carroll said the Red Cross gave him a few hundred dollars in relief, but with losing over $6,000 in inventory for his flea markets, he says it felt like a slap in the face.
He said $10,000 from FEMA would be ideal, enough for him to start to recover.
Carroll was going to host a large flea market the weekend of the floods, he said he had planned for it for over a year. But when disaster struck, everything that was gonna be sold was ruined instead.
He said that without money soon, he will face homelessness for the second time in his life.
WATCH: Brad Carroll reacts to FEMA assistance
FEMA assistance options may include grants for temporary housing, such as temporary housing assistance or reimbursement for hotel costs for both homeowners and renters, as well as grants for disaster-related expenses and serious needs. This can cover the repair or replacement of personal property and vehicles, moving and storage costs, medical and dental expenses, childcare, and other miscellaneous items.
The assistance may also be provided for repairing or replacing owner-occupied homes that serve as the household's primary residence, including privately owned access routes such as driveways, roads, or bridges.
Those seeking assistance must apply for FEMA aid by June 25, 2025. June 23, 2025, is the deadline to apply for unemployment. Including self-employed individuals, people who lost their jobs because their facility was closed or they couldn’t arrive at their job due to the flooding.
There are several ways to apply for assistance, including:
According to the release, applicants are advised to keep their contact information updated with FEMA, as the agency may need to schedule a home inspection or request additional information.
When applying, FEMA media specialist Maria Padron said applicants need to have the following documents:
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