Lanesville schools, homeowners face costly repairs after floodwaters rip through town

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — People in Lanesville are picking up the pieces after more than eight inches of water caused extreme flash flooding Tuesday.

Lanesville Community Schools superintendent Ryan Apple said there are hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Lanesville High School suffered damage near the track where the fence surrounding the school's track was pulled down by the water.

Apple said he watched the flooding as it happened.

"We saw soccer goals washing away," Apple said. "We saw the high jump matt washing away, so now we left with a lot of cleanup on our both of our baseball field and a soccer field."

Apple said he immediately called the insurance company to see if any of the damage would be covered. The insurance said they can’t help because the school sits in a flood plain.

Many homeowners in Lanesville tell WDRB they’re being hit with the same realization. Many people living in the area have flooded basements, that quickly filled with feet of water after Tuesday's heavy rainfall and flooding.

On Wednesday, WDRB saw many people clearing water and debris out of their basements.

"We had 6 to 8 different people helping out here hauling trash out," said Christopher Geswein, friend of impacted homeowner. "They lost everything down here."

Homeowners said they're hoping Governor Mike Braun approves emergency disaster funding, which could make them eligible for FEMA assistance since coverage by insurance is out of the question.

Harrison County Commissioners officially declared a local State of Emergency Tuesday, which is a formal administrative step that allows the county to effectively manage a disaster.

In addition, there is currently a 72-hour boil water advisory in place for Lanesville Water customers. Customers are asked to boil water intended for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and food preparation.

Damage assessment teams are working in the area as well.

Residents of Harrison County can report damage from severe flooding by dialing 211 or 866-211-9966 or visit the website.