Heavy flooding destroys Wilmore home, leaves family searching for place to live
Jun 29, 2026
Heavy flooding ravaged parts of Kentucky on Saturday, including Jessamine and Madison counties.In Wilmore over five inches of rain fell, impacting one family who lost their home to flooding and are now working on getting a new p
lace to live in.Rocky Russell and his partner Shanna Johnson are reflecting on losing the place they called home for the past few years in a matter of minutes."We're just trying to hold it together for the kids," Russell said.Just two months before the flood, the couple had completed plumbing work on the home. They had also recently purchased a new refrigerator and water heater out of pocket."This took years to do. This took like 3 years, and it was gone," Johnson said.Their home is now a total loss. Russell and Johnson are currently staying in a hotel while navigating what comes next, including waiting to hear back from the Red Cross."We're still waiting on the Red Cross. They did come down Sunday to do their assessment and we haven't got our case number yet, but we're supposed to be receiving some information back," Johnson said.Their biggest worry is their kids and their pets. One of their sons has autism, and Johnson said he currently does not fully understand what has happened."He currently thinks we're on vacation. You know, where we're staying in a motel," Johnson said.While the couple is trying to keep their spirits high, the reality of the situation is difficult to escape."We told the kids that it can be replaced, that we are what matters most. But when you literally have nothing and nowhere to go with your family, nobody that can rescue you, you know, nothing," Johnson said.Russell said that due to inflation, none of his family members are able to take them in."All had to downsize so there is no moving in with anybody," Russell said.As the family tries to figure out what comes next, Johnson said the hardest part is knowing there is no home to return to."I wanna go home, my kids talk about just wanting to lay in their bed they wanna go back to their bed, but there is no bed," Johnson said.Officials say now that they are in the recovery phase, they want to remind residents to take pictures and document cleanup and repairs. If you have damage to report and have not spoken to the Jessamine County Emergency Management Office, you can fill out a form by clicking here.To donate to the family's GoFundMe, click here.
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