Resilient Kentucky Responds to Latest Floods

Over Valentine's Day weekend 2025, parts of Appalachia, many still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene just 5 months earlier, were battered by another round of heavy rain and flooding. Particularly hard hit was Eastern Kentucky, which received approximately 9 inches of rain over the weekend, leading to widespread flash flooding. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, more than 1,000 people had to be rescued, and more than 300 roads were closed. On February 24, President Donald Trump granted a Major Disaster Declaration for ten counties in Eastern Kentucky (Breathitt, Clay, Harlan, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry and Pike). Here's a look at the storm's impact on telecommunications in Eastern Kentucky and what that might mean for broadband network builds in the coming years.