One evacuee is Father Peter Doddema, the priest of Frankfort’s Church of the Ascension. Instead of preparing for church on Sunday morning, he and his family - three humans and two dogs - boarded a canoe from his home’s second floor.
“That was a little freaky,” said Father Peter. “We weren't sure how that was going to work out because they'd never boated before, but we pulled the little Boston Terrier into the canoe and he sat and then the big bully hopped in. She's smarter than he is, fortunately, and they just sat like little champs.”
Father Peter lives upriver from the floodwalls which protected much of downtown Frankfort. The river usually sits a few hundred feet away from his house, but in the six years he's lived here, floodwaters have reached his basement twice.
“So we knew a flood was coming, and we're used to it because we've sat through it before. The highest flood we've dealt with was about 40, 41 feet, and our house will ride that out with no problem.”
But this flood crested at over 48 feet, bringing the water up to his home's main floor, 15 feet off the ground. He says he knew he had to evacuate at 3 am when a neighbor's 500-gallon propane tank flipped over.
“The current carried it behind our house and it was pouring gallons and gallons of propane into the water which was flowing into our house. So, there's propane fumes everywhere and I did not want the electric to hit the water.”
Father Peter and his family packed up in the dark and evacuated by canoe as soon as it was light outside. A neighbor with a motorboat helped them get to solid ground, and all five are currently staying in an Airbnb several miles away from the river. He credits his faith, his family, and his neighbors for getting him through it.
“My wife and I have lived in different places around the country, and I've never lived in a place with this much commitment to community. It's beautiful. It's overwhelming. People just will drop whatever they're doing, cancel whatever's going on, because they consider you family.”
Franklin County Judge Executive Michael Mueller has also seen an overwhelming response from the community.
“We've had a lot of people reach out about volunteering,” said Mueller. “Everyone wants to help, with money and with people.”
Those wishing to volunteer can fill out the city’s form here.
Starting Wednesday, donation centers will be open and accepting items like clothing, diapers, and cleaning supplies. The city's drop-off location will be in the old PicPac building on Second Street, while the county's drop-off location, set up by the Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation, will be in the old Health Department building on Glenns Creek Road. For those wishing to donate money, the Franklin County Community Fund has established a flood relief fund.
State and federal help is also available.
“We're very thankful that the governor has given us access to FEMA, to the National Guard, to state police,” said Mueller. “They've done this before. We have not. The mayor and I have been figuring things out. We've been just trying to report on things and keep people educated on what to do and what not to do. This is really their show at this point.”
The National Guard now has three distribution centers for water and food - at Lakeview Park, Juniper Hill Park, and Western Hills High School. All locations are open from 8 am. to 8 pm.
Residents of Franklin County can expect the river to drop below flood stage by the end of the week. Trash pickup will continue as normal starting Tuesday in areas not affected by flooding. Bus transit also resumes.