"Whitesburg is home to Appalshop, an Appalachian nonprofit dedicated to community storytelling. A beloved regional hub started in 1969, Appalshop found itself at the center of both support and recovery efforts. At the same time the nonprofit was needed by the community it served, it needed help of its own. Floodwaters swept away some of Appalshop's library, while other archived materials were severely damaged. Three years later, the nonprofit's historic building is still not inhabitable-the group is operating out of rented headquarters."
"In an interview with NPQ, Chad Hunter, Appalshop's archive director, remembered the flood, saying, "One thing you don't hear about in emergency preparedness plans is the human factor-how people are going to feel and how might we support one another. That quickly became the most pressing and interesting part of the lessons we learned from our disaster." Health and Safety Concerns"
In July 2022 the Kentucky River rose 22 feet above normal and flooded Whitesburg, Kentucky. Appalshop, a nonprofit arts and storytelling center founded in 1969, lost library materials and suffered significant archival damage; its historic building remains uninhabitable three years later, forcing operations into rented headquarters. Archive director Chad Hunter emphasized the overlooked human element in emergency preparedness and the importance of community support after the disaster. Appalshop facilitated community gatherings for emotional processing and sharing resources. Hunter noted the critical need for continued donation channels and for rapidly communicating mutual-aid access; he also reflected that outreach to mental-health professionals within networks could have helped recovery.
Read at Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
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