Kentucky Baptist Convention disaster relief volunteers begin cleanup at McKee Baptist Church after June flooding

MCKEE, Ky. A team of disaster relief volunteers from the Kentucky Baptist Convention has begun cleaning and demolition work at McKee Baptist Church in Jackson County following last weekend’s deadly flooding in parts of eastern Kentucky, according to LEX 18 News. This week, the group is assisting with the recovery effort at the church, located on Water Street, where floodwater inundated the building on June 27.

Pastor Ron Maharrey said floodwater covered areas outside and ran down the road during the storm. He described what the flooding looked like inside the church’s basement, where floors were left covered in mud and where he said there was approximately eight inches of water after the water receded.

Volunteers arrived Monday morning to begin cleanup inside the basement, with workers focusing first on removing debris and water-damaged materials. The recovery work is expected to take a couple of days, organizers said, bringing the church to a point where rebuilding can begin in the basement area.

Ron Crow, disaster relief director at the Kentucky Baptist Convention, said the organization’s crews help with both the demolition and the sanitation tasks that follow flood damage. “We often say this is the hardest work you’ll ever love, but we do it because the Lord has called us to do it,” Crow said, describing the work as physically demanding but part of the group’s disaster response mission.

Tommy Floyd, a missions strategist with the Lake Cumberland Baptist Association, said the team has taken out items that could be salvaged. He said volunteers are removing wet trim, taking down paneling that was damaged by water, and removing drywall that absorbed floodwater, before moving into additional cleanup and treatment steps.

Crow said the cleanup process includes power washing and sanitizing the space after demolition and removal work is completed. He said the church’s basement included a kitchen, and that several appliances were ruined by the flooding. The basement also was used for small groups and Sunday school classes, meaning the damage affects both daily gathering space and planned church activities.

Maharrey said church leaders had experience dealing with water intrusion in the past, though he described this flood as reaching a greater extent than what the congregation had previously faced. He said the congregation recognized the steps to take once the water arrived, including managing the aftermath as crews removed damaged materials and began preparations to return the building toward usable condition.