Save the Children Working to Meet Most Urgent Needs of Eastern Kentucky Kids in Catastrophic Flooding, as Many Remain Stranded, Missing

Nonprofit with 90-Year-Old Kentucky Roots also Gears up to Support Back-to-School Efforts Next Week

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (August 2, 2022) — With some children traveling days to safety to escape deadly floodwaters and many without power or access to drinkable water, Save the Children staff are delivering critical emergency supplies – including food and water – to families in the areas hardest hit by the destructive flooding.

“Save the Children has been working in Kentucky since the Great Depression, and this is the largest scale emergency we have experienced and responded to in the state in the 90 years we have been working here,” said Greta Wetzel, head of Save the Children’s emergency response team in eastern Kentucky. “We met a mother who walked for three days in the mountains with her 3-year-old girl to reach safety and shelter, and another rescued by a helicopter while her baby was on her back, dangerously close to the treacherous floodwaters. These families greatly need our help now and well into the future.”

Save the Children staff are distributing essential items – including water, hygiene kits,  diapers, wipes, cribs, and cleaning supplies for schools – and helping deliver critical meals to affected families living in the hardest to reach places following the flooding. The global humanitarian organization is also providing art activity kits, games and toys to kids in area shelters – so they can have a moment to be kids again during this difficult time – and identifying kids’ short- and long-term needs as this emergency persists.

“We are gearing up with supplies to support back-to-school efforts at school districts next week that have seen schools inundated with floodwaters, or completely destroyed,” said Wetzel. “Disasters can also steal children’s sense of security, affect their health, behavior and ability to learn, and Save the Children is committed to working with schools and communities to ensure kids get the social and emotional support they need in the aftermath of this tragic flooding.”

Save the Children is the national leader in protecting children in emergencies, and has been helping children and families most impacted by poverty and inequality in Kentucky since 1932. Today, this also includes leading high-quality early education programs in some of the most impoverished rural communities, to help children succeed in school and life.

By contributing to Save the Children’s Eastern Kentucky Flood Crisis Fund, you will help provide desperately needed relief to families impacted by the flooding. To learn more about Save the Children, please go to www.SavetheChildren.org.

Editor’s Note: Save the Children’s emergency response team leader in Kentucky, Greta Wetzel, is available for interviews, as well as Save the Children’s Kentucky State Director, Alissa Taylor. Both have led child-focused teams during past emergency responses and throughout COVID.

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we've been advocating for the rights of children worldwide. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming the future we share. Our results, financial statements and charity ratings reaffirm that Save the Children is a charity you can trust. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.