Kentucky flood survivors turn to grim task: Burying the dead

There is a small town in Kentucky called Chamies. Angel Campbell should have been in her grandmother's living room this week, looking through her photos and eating her favorite soup beans.

The living room is no longer there.

Campbell can't stop thinking about how he lost his mother in the floods that killed at least 37 people. She said she will suffer for a long time if she loses her beloved movie.

She said that the way she left the earth shattered her. It makes me feel cruel.

Eastern Kentucky has been working for days to recover and bury the dead. Sometimes in quick succession, local funeral homes have settled into a steady stream of memorial services. As more rain falls, a flood watch has been issued for the region. The people are bracing for a new round of misery.

In communities where families have known each other for generations, funeral home workers have had to navigate the staggering losses. At times, they have had to carry on without power or water, taking in so many bodies that a mobile refrigerator was brought in.

At least seven counties had mobile federal emergency management centers open. The funeral expenses of flood victims are being paid for by the relief fund.

17 people died in the historic flooding in Knott County. The local coroner was familiar with almost all of them.

He said that he was retrieving people from scenes that he had known since he was a child or when he saw someone grow up. It is difficult.

Families were separated by the floods. There were two sets of husbands and wives that passed away. The coroner said that whole families weredecimated. He said that most of the people who died were retired.

He wondered how to compose himself when he saw so many people die and so many people try to save their lives. We need to go through this. It has to be overcome by us. We can always remember their names in our hearts.

The floods ripped a huge hole in the back wall of Randall andRosa Lee's house and swept them into the dark water. The man said he spoke to her before they fell. He said he loved you whatever happened.

Kevin Patrick and another neighbor waded out to rescue him after he was stuck in a tree for seven hours. His wife's body was found a long way away.

On the other side of the creek, what was left of their home stood. He's been given a pop-up camper by a neighbor.

The man said he couldn't bring back what he had. I have to get up and continue. I will get it.

The man drove up to check on them. He depended on the Vicks to cut his grass.

There were several cars in their driveway. It's money. Yards were kept free of dirt. God let them know who the boss was.

Jade Dollarhide gave him a hug while he looked for what he needed.

Dollarhide said we are rich in friendship and family because we don't have all the money. That's what matters.

After days of digging out, some families get their first chance to grieve at the funeral.

Campbell's mother was at home with her boyfriend when the storms hit. Collins went to check on her but the table she was on collapsed into the water.

Collins was trapped between a couch and a car for two hours. The only thing that saved her was a flashing tail light that caught the attention of her neighbors. She didn't see Howard alive again after she was battered and bruised.

The body of Howard was found in less than five hours. Campbell's brother was the one who pulled their grandmother from the water. He sat with her for hours after asking the neighbors for a sheet to cover her.

The homes were destroyed hundreds of feet from where Howard had lived for 50 years.

Campbell likened her grandmother to her second mother. They talked on the phone or saw each other. She can still hear her giggling on the other line or tell her to thank Jesus. She was a deeply religious woman who cared for her rose garden and thanked the Lord every morning.

She was the person Campbell most often turned to for help.

She said that when she had to say goodbye to her, she would still be able to sit in her favorite chair and remember the good times. I can't do that and that hurts.

Everything her mother and grandmother owned was destroyed in the floods. A portrait of her grandparents, who died 13 years ago, still hangs on one of the walls.

At her funeral this week, there was a spray of roses next to the photo next to the white casket.

The ones in her grandmother's garden were similar.

That's right.

Willingham was reporting from Charleston. National Writer Allen G. Breed in Kentucky is one of the contributors.